


The Subtle Art Of Running Forever

by Gooberitis



Category: Invader Zim
Genre: 18+, Aged up characters, Au by @Littol_pickol on Twitter, Chaos time, Dib and Gaz grew up on the farm, Eventual Smut, M/M, Membrane is a famous farmer bc of science in agriculture, Pining Zim, Zim makes crop circles and steals a cow, farm au, go check her out if ur +18 she’s really cool, slowburn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:02:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 28,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25272856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gooberitis/pseuds/Gooberitis
Summary: Genetically modified agriculture is the thing of the future and the future is here thanks to Membrane Farms.-Trapped in his Father’s not so simple farm life, 19 year old Dib Membrane desperately looks for a way out only to find something more.
Relationships: Dib/Zim (Invader Zim)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 122





	1. The Sign

‘beep beep beep be- click’

Dib groaned, turning off his alarm and reaching for his thick lensed glasses. Pushing them up on his face he was able to see the green luminous numbers displayed on the old alarm clock.  
‘5:20’  
Ten minutes to get dressed before he had to take care of the morning chores.  
Reluctantly getting out of bed, the Membrane opted for a green and white checkered button up and a pair of old jeans that were probably still clean before heading to the bathroom.

Staring at himself in the mirror as his reflection looked back.  
His shaggy jet black hair with it’s annoyingly defiant cowlick which once resembled a scythe had started to take on a lightning bolt shape when he was 17. It still refused to lay flat no matter what he did.  
His glasses made his eyes look twice the size they actually were paired with his tall lanky frame made him look just as awkward as he always felt during the short 19 years of his life.  
He looked just like his dad. Always did. People all his life would stop him and say something along the lines of ‘You’re Membrane’s kid, right?’

Dib brushed his teeth, washed his face, applied deodorant, pulled on his work clothes, and tried to make his unruly hair cooperate. It didn’t of course so he went downstairs.  
Gaz was already in the kitchen, turning on the kettle so that once she was finished her morning chores she could make a pot of coffee with the hot water. Her purple hair tied back in a bun. She wore stained overalls and an old t-shirt.  
Tetris, their sheepdog, sat patiently beside the girl.  
They had bought the dog a few years ago from a friend of Membrane’s. It didn’t take long to realize that Tetris was only interested in listening to Gaz. He was never a bad dog, just a reluctant one.

“Be sure to make enough coffee for me as well, yeah?”  
Gaz merely grunted as a way of saying that she did hear him and that she might make enough coffee for both of them.  
Her chores consisted of moving and feeding the sheep, feeding the pigs, feeding the horses, and checking up on the apple orchard.  
Dib passed the door down to the basement where his father continued to work on what everyone was sure would be the ‘next big thing’ in agriculture. 

Pulling on his boots he left out the back screen door and stepped off the porch.  
The young adult decided that he would feed and take the laid eggs from the chickens first just so that he could get it over with.  
Dib didn’t really like the chickens, but the feeling was mutual. And really, it was just the one hen that had been cloned 30 times.  
He picked up a flat for the eggs and quietly opened up the roof of the hen house.

The few hens that were awake weren’t happy to see him. Regardless Dib removed 2 eggs from the nest of 29 hens and 3 from one.  
Strange as it was, it wasn’t impossible for one of Membrane’s famous cloned hens to produce one more or one less egg than the two they were biologically engendered to lay, but it was odd.  
He placed the eggs in the flat and the extra one on top of it before closing up the hen house and sprinkling chicken feed into the enclosure that was off to the side of it.

Leaving the hens the boy went to start his favourite chore.  
Walking up the grassy hill the heard of cattle came into view, amongst them, Annabelle.  
The beautiful brown fluffy cow was a gift to Dib from his grandfather for the boy’s 6th birthday.  
At first, his father was reluctant to have a normal cow that wasn’t genetically modified to produce a different flavour of milk but seeing how his boy cared for it, he made an exception and allowed him to keep her.

Stepping into the large fenced off area the cow in question trotted over to Dib, happy that her favourite human was here again.  
Accompanied by his pet, Dib went to milk the remaining cows in the pasture.  
Original, Chocolate, Strawberry, Banana, Peach, and Honey.  
The different milks all in their separate pails and safely out of the way, the boy refilled the water trough and gave a few small apple slices to Annabelle as a treat.  
“Okay, I’ll visit you later today, alright? Bye girl.”

Hopping the fence and walking down the hill Dib saw Simmons on his way to the farmers market to open up the Membrane Farms booth.  
Simmons, Membrane’s lab partner and farm hand worked the booth early in the morning. Then Gaz would work from late morning till mid afternoon.  
Dib was in after her, working until close.

All that was left to do for morning chores was check the cornfield that contained a continuously changing maze within it’s borders and the wheat that was used to make super toast.  
Getting in the tractor so he could actually see the expanse of both crops, the young Membrane set off.  
The cornfield was fine, alternating the path to the way out accordingly.  
But something was strange about the wheat. 

Parking the tractor Dib carefully climbed on top of the vehicle and almost fell off in shock when he saw that a pattern had been pressed down into the wheat.  
It could only be described as two crooked triangles next to each other, above a circle that was above an inverted triangle.  
It didn’t look like the ones he’d seen on his favourite tv show or in his paranormal magazines but it was obviously a crop circle.

The excitement of his new discovery cleared all other thoughts from his head as Dib got off the tractor, sprinted past Gaz, into the house and down to his father’s laboratory.  
The scientist was hunched over a Petri dish, dropper in gloved hand.  
“DAD! An alien left a crop circle in the wheat field!”  
At the sudden outburst from his eldest child, Membrane cursed and almost knocked his microscope off the table before righting himself.  
“I’m sorry, what?”

Leading his dad back to the field Dib had never felt so proud. Vindication! He wasn’t crazy!  
Seeing her brother lead their shut in father to the wheat field sparked Gaz’s interest so she decided to feed the horses after she found out what the fuck was going on over there.  
So she followed the pair, Tetris in tow.

Membrane stood up by the seat of the tractor to see the damage and sighed to himself.  
“Dib, I know you don’t want to take over Membrane Farms when I retire or even study biotechnology at university in September, but destruction of property so you can hunt aliens or whatever it is you do instead is wildly inappropriate! I honestly thought you knew better.”  
Dib looked up at his dad in disbelief.  
“What did he do this time?”  
Gaz had come to stand next to her brother. She too looked up at her father but with mild interest instead of the disbelief that Dib felt.

“It’s nothing, Honey. Just keep doing what you were doing.”  
The girl glanced over at Dib before she left with Tetris.  
Membrane got down from the tractor and started to walk back to the house.  
“Wait! Dad! I didn’t do that! Where’d I have the time to anyway? I just-“  
“Dibromide Feebly Membrane! You need to stop this nonsense and grow up! You should be thankful I’m letting you off with a warning.”

Dib held his tongue as he watched his father walk back into the house, anger pounding against his skull.  
He wanted to yell about how he wasn’t lying, how painful it was that his father controlled his life, he just wanted to scream and maybe cry a little.  
His chest ached as he went up the hill to sit and pet Annabelle.  
The cow kneeled next to him, enjoying the attention.  
Taking out his cracked phone and beat up earbuds Dib plugged them in to listen to something that wasn’t his own thoughts.  
Johnny Cash’s cover of ‘Hurt’ probably wasn’t what he should’ve been listening to as a distraction, but it’s what he did anyway.

Tears fell from his eyes and his glasses fogged up a bit.  
He let it happen, no one was around to watch.  
Dib sat there, longing desperately for a life that wasn’t his fathers, wishing that he could change the inevitable.  
Annabelle rested her head in his lap as he continued to cry.  
The song ended and the boy put his things away before gently hugging his dear pet and whispering kind things to her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dib walked up to the Membrane Farm’s booth at the farmers market to find his sister sitting behind the cash playing a video game on her gameslave 7.  
Upon his approach she put the game away.  
“What happened with you an Dad this morning?”  
The details didn’t matter but most arguments between the two men boiled down to Dib’s future.  
“Same old shit.”  
Gaz nodded.

“Whatever, it’s been slower than usual today so you probs won’t have much to do. Imma head out. See ya at home.”  
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world, ya fukin smurf.”  
It’s not that Gaz was short, she was actually a couple inches above average. Dib was just freakishly tall, always had been.  
“Piss off ya twat!”  
And with that, she had disappeared into the small crowd.

The oldest membrane child took his place behind the counter and it wasn’t long before someone was calling out his name.  
Josie, an older woman who ran a small baked goods booth across from their own. She sold her grandfather’s favourite molasses cookies and she’d always give one to Dib for free.  
Like she did everyday, the woman placed a cookie on a napkin and walked over to give it to her young friend.  
“Hi Josie, thanks for the cookie. Isn’t doing this every day bad for business?”

“Not really. They don’t sell as well as the other items on the menu, molasses is an acquired taste. My grandfather made up the recipe and it was such a big part of my childhood,”  
Josie sighed.  
“I haven’t the heart to stop selling them. It’s a bit silly, but there’s comfort in the past.”  
Dib nodded.  
“Yeah, like back when my dad was harder to disappoint.”

“You’re an old soul, Dib. Wise beyond your years. But you’ll need help if you want to break away from your dad’s grip on your life.”  
Taking a bite of the soft cookie, the teen relished the heavy taste of molasses.  
“Like anyone would wanna help. I don’t have a lot of friends.”  
“But you can make some. Someday, you’ll meet someone who can balance you out. Someone talented in ways you are not and vice versa. They will be able to change your life for the better.”

Dib let out a short laugh.  
“How do you know that? I’m probably destined to be alone.”  
Shaking her head, the lady said:  
“Everyone has an equal who is everything they aren’t but just as clever. You just haven’t met your other half yet.”  
“Riiiggghht...”  
He looked away, no longer wanting to talk about this.  
“Hey, Josie? Did I tell you what happened this morning?”  
“I don’t believe you did.”

Telling Josie about the crop circle made Dib feel energized.  
“So your dad just accused you without evidence? That’s a little dumb if you don’t mind me saying.”  
“No! It is dumb! And he always thinks he’s right it’s so-“  
“But you’re also without proof.”  
She was right. Her hard green eyes and playful smile indicated that she knew he was just as guilty as his father.  
“Well.. yeah... hey! Do you think the alien would come back tonight? I mean, maybe not but it is a possibility...”  
Josie just laughed, loving the boy’s enthusiasm.  
“Only one way to find out. Take a nap before you pull an all nighter though.”

Yes, Dib would sit and wait by the probably repaired by now field and wait to see if the intruder would show up for a second night.  
Pulling over a pen and notepad, he started to jot down materials he’d need and a plan for if he were actually able to capture the beast from beyond.  
Of course, this space monster could look like anything so he’d have to be prepared for as such.  
Tonight, he’d prove himself.  
If not this night, then another.  
He’d wait until time stood still if he had to. This was it, the thing he wanted most.  
Vindication.


	2. Abducted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dibs plan works a little too well

That evening, Dib closed up the booth as fast as possible and biked home along the highway to prepare for his steak out.  
Simmons and Gaz were already cooking dinner when he got home and Membrane, as per usual, was in his lab.  
Unable to stay still out of excitement, Dib set the table.  
‘It will be time before you know it.’   
The boy thought to himself.  
The head scientist/farmer was unable to join them for dinner so his faithful farm hand brought him down a plate.  
Once clean up was finished it was time for the evening chores.  
They were the same as the morning chores except Dib didn’t have to collect milk or eggs.

The first thing he checked were the fields. As predicted, the wheat was crop circle free.  
Now regretting not taking a picture while it was there, Dib went to feed the chickens.  
As he approached the enclosure the hens all puffed out their feathers in an identical display of hatred.  
Too distracted to care the teen poured feed into the slot and went towards the cows.

Dib wasn’t strong and buff like his father, nor was Gaz.  
They both were instead wiry and thin so chores weren’t any harder.  
The job of hoisting up the oats and dumping them into the trough was soon complete.  
A soft ‘moo’ from across the field caught his attention as Annabelle walked out from under the cow barn’s overhang.  
The bovines only slept the barn during the fall and winter months. On a cool summer evening such as this, they’d prefer to sleep under the stars in the enclosure.

Annabelle affectionately butted her head into Dib’s chest, requesting attention.  
“There’s my girl. Did you miss me while I was out?”  
Taking out the cow brush he carefully worked through the tangles in the cow’s luxurious fur.  
Annabelle loved being brushed. Almost as much as she enjoyed the occasional treat or napping in the shade.

Once Dib finished the task, Annabelle lightly shook out her fur and trotted over to the feeding trough.  
“I’d stay and sit with you, but Josie’s right. I’ll need to sleep a bit if I wanna chase down that alien.”  
Down the hill, into the house, up the stairs, and through the door at the end of the hallway.  
For tonight he’d need his video camera, those alien sleep cuffs he ordered off of the back of a comic book when he was 15, the stun gun his dad gave him for ‘emergency use only’, and a red bull.

Removing his day clothes and glasses for a black T-shirt and some black sweatpants, Dib drew the curtains and turned off the lights.  
For a moment, the man lay there. Too excited to sleep.  
If he were to capture this alien, he might be able to break away from his pre-determined fate and study the paranormal.

This of corse required him to leave home, which actually was very exciting.  
The valley they lived in was beautiful, but it was small. There wasn’t much to do and nothing ever happened.  
This alien was his ticket out! He planned on visiting and staying in touch with his family though.  
Dib did his best to clear his mind of what was to come when he awoke and closed his eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~

When Dib woke up it was 11:30 pm  
He put on his glasses, grabbed his things and crept downstairs.  
Pulling on his boots and his fleece lined coat, Dib snuck out the back and into the open yard.  
Too excited to contain it, the teen sprinted towards the wheat field. A small giggle escaped from his lips.  
He balanced himself on top of the fence to see that the wheat was as normal as usual.  
“Okay,”  
He thought aloud.  
“It hasn’t been back yet.”

Dib sat on the fence and waited.  
And waited...  
And then he waited some more.  
Making sure the brightness was low he checked the time only to find that it was 1:40 am.  
“This is taking forever.”  
The Membrane plugged in his earphones and put just one of the buds in his ear so he could stay more alert.  
‘Lost Together’ by Blue Rodeo played as he took a sip of his energy drink.

Twenty songs later and he was listening to ‘Luckenbach Texas’ by the Highwaymen.  
His drink finished, Dib hummed along with the song as he watched the sky.  
And then something happened.  
It started off small, approaching the far edge of the field.   
Dib stashed away his music and pulled out the camera.  
As it came further into view, it was easily recognizable as a space craft.  
Rounder in shape and various shades of purple and pink, the ship flew high over the vast crops.

Expecting it to stop over the centre of the field and re-create the previous crop circle, Dib was surprised when it passed right over.  
Following it’s flight path with the camera lens, the teen tried to predict where it was going.  
Right over the hen house and-  
The colour drained from Dib’s face in an instant.  
Forgetting about the camera angle, Dib ran as fast as his long legs allowed him.

Running up the hill he watched in as the ship slowly circled over the cow pasture akin to a vulture.  
If aliens making crop circles were actually a thing, what about infamous cow abductions?  
A hole opened up on the bottom of the ship and a light shot down.  
The overlapping terrorized moo’s from the cows drove Dib to run faster.  
He leapt over the fence and ran into the chaos.  
It was Annabelle.

The brown cow was suspended in the air and rising fast via tractor beam.  
“NO!”  
Not even thinking, Dib dropped the camera, ran towards his pet and jumped up to hold onto her.  
Annabelle was panicking, Dib was hyperventilating and trying to hold on.  
In hindsight, he wasn’t sure what hanging onto the cow would actually do except endanger them both but there he was, being beamed aboard an alien’s ship.

They were in.  
He could here voices over Annabelle’s frantic noises.  
There wasn’t enough space for both him in the cow.  
He was caught between the wall and her body.  
Annabelle wouldn’t stop thrashing and accidentally knocked Dib’s head back agains the ship wall.  
“C R A C K !”  
Despite the energy drink, Dib felt his body shut down and his eyes droop.  
For his bravery, he was greeted by darkness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The noise.  
That filthy dirt animal made so much noise Zim was wondering why he bothered in the first place.  
“SILENCE! YOU WILL OBEY ZIM! Pathetic Earth creature.”  
The ‘Earth cow’ continued to whine, but a bit quieter and it was moving less.  
“Daww, we gots a moo moo! Is we gon keeps it? I wants to keeps it.”  
“No, GIR.”  
The invader’s patience was running thin.  
“This is a science cow. I must find out why humans value them enough to keep so many of them.”

The alien was already annoyed by the stupid humans who had removed the mighty Irken logo from their land. They should have been honoured to host such a symbol so close to their place of residence. It only showed how stupid they were. No matter, when he was ruler of this filthy backwater planet, the Irken symbol would be everywhere.  
The Tallests will be proud, oh how proud they will be.  
He just had to take things one step at a time, hence the kidnapping of the weird fluffy thing in the back.

Said animal leaned forward and was about to bite Zims antenna.  
Horrified by the breath on his left antenna, Zim was able to move it out of the way just in time.  
“Ooh! It likes youuuuu!”  
“GIR! Make sure it doesn’t try that again.”  
Saluting his master GIR did as he was told.  
With a surprisingly gentle hand, he reached up and pet the cow.  
It was different than what she was used to but Annabelle didn’t mind and allowed the strange metal thing to pet her further.

With all distractions out of the way, Zim was able to pilot the voot runner back to his base.  
Once they got above the cul-de-sac the roof of a thin neon green house split open.  
With practiced skill, the Irken parked the voot within the glowing house before the roof shut again.  
“COMPUTER! Take the voot down to holding chamber eight and empty it of the organic life form within it. Then take it back up here.”  
“Uuuuggghhhhh fine.” 

The computer used the elevator to lower the runner below the house level and into the winding depths of the base.  
After a while it stoped and a chute expelled Annabelle and Dib from the ship and into an empty, dimly lit room.  
Righting herself, Annabelle realized that her human was there with her.  
Things would be fine.  
The computer recognized the extra life form but figured his master had forgotten to mention it.   
Also, it didn’t really care.

After Zim had turned on ‘The Scary Monkey Show’ for GIR to watch while he worked with the earth animal, he climbed into his ingeniously disguised elevator and took it down to the eight holding chamber.  
Once he was sure he was prepared to face the cow he stepped inside to find a strange sight indeed.  
The large animal wasn’t at all panicked. Instead, it sat licking the face of-  
“A HUMAN?! Computer! How can this be?!”  
“Dunno. The earthling was in the voot with the cow. Thought he was supposed to be here.”

Zim approached the human but the cow caught his gaze first.  
It’s deep chocolate eyes seemed to stare right through his soul. The alien shuddered and turned back to the human.  
The icky stuff on his large head was black and oddly shaped. He had sight lenses, the sign of a defective human. He was adorned in dark colours.  
Long eyelashes lay across fair skin, indicating that this human was unconscious.  
Compared to the other humans this one was certainly more... aesthetically pleasing.

He could stay and study the human male’s features for the rest of the night if he so pleased, but no, he had a mission.   
His mission didn’t involve this human in any way.  
Zim was about to command his computer to dispose of the human via incinerator but then the human in question started to move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “ZIM CHAPTER, ZIM CHAPTER ZI-“  
> This one was pretty cool, and yes Zim will be reluctantly smitten with Dib because I said so.  
> Stay tuned for chapter 3


	3. Rough Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zim is just doing his best and Dib’s slowly loosing consciousness.

Dib woke up, expecting green and blurry bioluminescent numbers on his alarm clock.  
When he instead saw a large pair of hot pink eyes, of course he screamed.  
Wouldn’t anyone?  
Things started to come back to the teen as the creature above him demanded that he ‘stopped his awful caterwauling’.  
“Wait! You’re the alien!”  
The being scoffed.  
“No, I am Zim! Who are you supposed to be?”

Dib stood up.  
He was tall compared to this Zim guy who barley came up to his shoulders.  
The alien in question looked up at him, his eyes wide and a light dust of blue on his cheeks.  
His skin was a vibrant green and he had no nose or ears, just two black antenna that perked up in what could have been alert or attention or maybe an attempt to make himself look bigger.  
He wore a pink tunic, black gloves, black leggings, and a pair of sharp little black boots.

“I’m Dib. You know, the guy you kidnapped along with his pet?”  
“Eh?”  
The alien who was now questioning his research resources looked over at what he thought was a cow.  
“That is no pet. An Earth pet is a dog or cat or maybe even a variant of rat or reptile.”  
Oddly enough, the Dib human laughed. It sounded warm and pretty and Zim longed to make him laugh again for some reason.

“I take it yesterday evening was your first time visiting the country? A lot of farmers have pets that people who live in the city would consider... odd.”  
The Dib looked at his pet, who had stood up as well.  
“But it is a cow?”  
“Yeah. And her name is Annabelle. Can you take us home now?”  
Zim looked up at the human incredulously.  
“But I need to study the Annabelle to find out why humans rely so heavily on her.”

Dib sighed, realizing that he would be unable to trick the alien into taking them back to the farm and using the alien sleep cuffs on him and came to a new solution.  
“You’d actually be better off asking me any questions you had about cows as I am a human expert.”  
A lie.  
“But in return, you gotta answer my questions about space and your home planet and whatever else I guess. So like, we take turns asking questions.”

Zim eyed him sceptically but then nodded and held out his hand.  
“I agree to your terms.”   
When Dib took Zim’s hand in his own to shake it he could feel his strange host’s sharp claws through the thick black gloves he wore.  
An involuntary shiver ran up his spine.  
Not letting go of his hand, Zim led Dib and Annabelle over to the elevator outside the holding chamber.  
It was by more good luck than good management that all three of them were able to fit into the elevator as it brought them up to the house level.

GIR gasped happily as his master, the moo moo, and an excited looking human all exited the elevator.  
“Master! I missed you so much. Is we keepin the moo moo?”  
“No, GIR. There is no longer a need to do so.”  
Dib approached the robot.  
“Woah! Artificial intelligence, smooth motor skills, did you make him?”  
Chuckling at the human’s amazement as a result of simple Irken technology Zim sat down on the couch.  
“No, SIR units are manufactured on Vort and given to invaders. Though I am such an important asset to the armada, I was given GIR who is far more advanced than the common SIR unit.”

The teen sat next to Zim and watched as GIR put both of his hands in his mouth and fell off the couch.  
“Riigghhht... okay, so what-“  
“Going back on our deal so soon, Dib-beast?”  
The little alien eyed Dib sharply.  
“No, I just figured I’d go first.”  
“You just did! Don’t lie to Zim!”  
Dib yawned and rubbed his eyes under his glasses.  
“You’re talking about me asking about GIR, right? I wasn’t sure if that counted or not. Go ahead then.”

“Correct answer. Now, how is it that you humans utilize those cow things?”  
Dib looked over at Annabelle, who was trying to eat a potted plant on a table that was a bit too high.  
“Well, milk comes from cows and it can be used to make cream, butter, cheese, yogurt, a bunch of things actually. Humans also tend to use cow meat as a source of food. Though I have Annabelle for companionship as a pet.”  
Dib patted his lap and the cow abandoned her efforts to reach the lush leaves to join Dib and the loud green one.

“Okay, my turn. What’s it like on your home planet? Laws, atmosphere, religion, whatever else.”  
Tired, Annabelle settled by Dibs feet. She wasn’t allowed on the furniture back home and the rules most likely applied everywhere.  
“Well,”  
Zim began.

“Irk is my home planet and a large portion of it is underground. We keep smeets there until they are ready to serve the Irken Empire. Irk’s social ranks are determined by height, the taller you are the more opportunities are open to you. The tallest records Irken or Irkens are given the position of almighty tallest our esteemed leaders.”  
“So they’re just taller th-“

“Shh! I’m not done.”  
Dib rolled his eyes.  
“There is no confining religion on Irk, however it was the control brains that came to us in the before time and bestowed Paks upon us. As a result we are much stronger and less divided.”  
“Zim? I’m gonna fall asleep. Can you take us home? I’ll answer more of your questions later.”  
Dibs eyelids were at half mast and he had stopped petting Annabelle in favour of simply resting his hand on her back.

Zim, who seemed to be fully awake, looked at him like he was crazy. A look Dib had unfortunately grown accustomed to.  
“Do you have the brain worms? It is currently three hours and eighteen minutes into your new Earth day! Even in the superior Voot Runner and as a superior pilot, there is no way of transporting you and you’re ‘Annabelle’ back to your far away dwelling and then returning to my bad before your heinous star made an appearance. The humans would see my ship and I’d be captured! My mission would be at stake, are you graSPING THE MADNESS THAT IS THIS PLAN OF YOURS???!!!”

GIR too was screeching along with his master, much to Dib’s annoyance.  
“Fine fine... I’ll ask Gaz if she can take care of my chores. I’m good to stay over, right?”  
“What is a Gaz?”  
Dib pulled out his phone.  
“I’ll tell you tomorrow.”  
The teen sent a message explaining his situation to his sister to which she responded that she was ‘going to to take his shins’. This was not a ‘no, go fuck yourself’, so he took it as a yes. 

“It’s pathetic how you feeble humans need to shut down like this every twenty four hours. No invader would ever be this vulnerable.”  
Zim boasted as Dib curled up on the couch.  
“You’re lucky I’m here to watch over you in your moment of weakness.”  
He added as an afterthought.  
Zim got off the couch and pulled a light blanket over the human’s exhausted form.  
“Hehe, thanks. I feel safer already.”

Swelling with Pride, Zim picked up his robot and spared one final look at the Earth boy and his cow pet.  
“I swear to Irk, GIR. If that cow or the human leave dookie in my base there will be consequences.”  
They descended into the lab.  
“Aww, I don think sooo. You think he’s cuuuutttteeeeee!”  
Tending at the malfunctioning SIR unit Zim growled.  
“Feh! As if I’d feel anything but hatred for the species I’m supposed to conquer!”  
At this time, the false invader was uncertain of whom he was lying to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boyyyyyyy I’m tired! Like, I’m going straight the fuck to sleeeeppppp.   
> Also, this chapter felt shorter than it is??? What??? I had fun tho.   
> Stay tuned for chapter 4


	4. Get Away From It All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New beginnings as Zim tries to impress Dib

“So as you can see, I have obtained valuable information today as I do every day.”  
Tallest Red sighed and glanced over to his co-leader who looked equally fed up with the banished Irken’s antics.  
“I have learned much about the Earth’s cow beast. Enough to formulate a plan based on the-“  
“We don’t care, Zim! Whatever you’re going to try, it’ll fail miserably.”  
Purple laughed in agreement with what Red had just said.  
“Yeah, hopefully the cows will eat your eyeballs or something.”

Zim’s leaders hung up.  
Cows didn’t eat eyeballs. Even if they did, Zim had ocular implants instead. How silly.   
But then again, maybe cows did eat eyeballs and the one upstairs couldn’t be smart enough to tell the difference between organic eyes and implants. Maybe that’s why the Dib wore glasses, to protect his eyes from the threatening eye-munching cow monster he lived with.  
No, that’s stupid.  
But the thought lingered at the back of his paranoid mind.

“Sir, the human is awake.”  
Zim sat up straighter at his computer’s voice.  
“Eh? But has only been four earth hours since he last was awake.”  
It was indeed 7:10am and yet the video feed showed Dib sitting up on the couch and pushing his glasses onto his face. Annabelle lay next to him, still asleep on the floor.  
Usually the human’s weren’t awake until 8:00 but this human was different. 

For a moment, Zim just watched.  
Dib was tall and lean. The ideal Irken body type. Even as a human Zim would go as far as to say he was attractive. Never to his face of course, but still.  
“Computer! Take me to the house level.”  
The elevator at the end of the hall slid open and once he was inside, brought Zim up through the end table usually was.  
Turns out the cow had woken up in the time it took the invader to emerge from the depths of his lab. 

Annabelle trotted over towards Zim who was paralyzed.  
Thoughts of Tallest Purple’s words and his own horrific fantasies clouded his mind as the soft brown beast sniffed at his invaders tunic.  
Dib watched the scene with delight.  
Unable to stop himself he laughed.  
“Wow, despite everything she really likes you.”  
Zim wanted to tell the human that this was no laughing matter but his mouth wasn’t working properly.

Fortunately Dib was by his side in an instant.  
“She wants you to pet her. Here.”  
The human took Zim’s hand in his own and placed it on top of Annabelle’s head.  
“Woah...”  
Dib watched as Zim’s eyes widened.  
The little alien smiled a bit as he slowly pet the cow on top of her head.  
“So... she’s not gonna eat my eyes?”  
Dib snickered to himself.  
“No, cows are herbivores. They eat grass and cow feed. Also that totally counts as a question.”

Zim hissed in annoyance.  
“Fine! But both you and the cow need to eat something. Lucky for you, Zim is in the mood for a hot chocolate and a muffin. The Dib may join me if he so desires.”  
‘Breakfast would be nice.’  
The teen thought.  
“Okay, is there anywhere that sells cow feed? Like grains and shit.”  
Zim nodded.  
“There’s a pet store GIR likes to visit not far from here. They sell ‘grains and shit’ as you so aptly put it.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zim had to keep Dib from walking out into traffic at least six times on the walk to the cafe.  
They placed their order and much to Zim’s displeasure, the barista’s eyes lingered on Dib’s torso for a few seconds too long.  
The Irken elite who Dib had decided to nickname ‘space boy’ could not decide if he liked his new alias but he did decide that they would be sitting outside.  
So they picked up their food and found a table in the sun.  
“Has anyone told you that your disguise makes you look like a muppet?”

“A what?”  
The human didn’t answer, he instead took a sip of his coffee and sighed happily.  
“I think I’m ready to ask another question. So, why are you on earth?”  
Zim twitched.  
“Well... I’m here on an information retrieval mission.”  
The lie was unavoidable. He had to protect his mission.  
And what if Dib found out?   
For whatever reason the thought made the alien feel ill. 

The human nodded and Zim cleared his throat.  
“So why cow milk.”  
Dib shrugged.  
“It’s easier to mass produce probably. Though we do have soy milk, almond milk, goat milk, coconut milk, the list goes on.”  
Taking a bite of his breakfast sandwich he eyed the alien.  
“When will your mission end? Is there like an amount of info you need or is it time based?”  
Zim hated this. 

For some reason he just wanted to forget his past, why he was here, who he was. All to stay by the side of something that would be classified as an animal on Irk.  
He felt the pain expand like a spiky balloon thingy in his chest.  
Bound to the collective.  
Part of the hive mind.  
The ends justified the means.  
“I record my findings, share them with my tallests, and once they have enough information I am able to return home and prepare for my next mission.”

“Living out of a suitcase? That sounds exhausting. GIR mustn’t like it much.”  
“Actually.”  
Why was this so hard?  
“This is his first mission. He thinks Earth is his home now, I’m sure.”  
“Why can’t it be?”  
Zim looked at the hairy human before him as if he had grown a second head.  
“No I’m being serious. You could quit or take an early retirement or whatever it is that happens on Irk. Live here on Earth. It’d be relaxing and I’ve always wanted an alien friend or any friend.”

“On Irk, you work till you die.”  
Dib looked up at the now pale alien.  
“Wha-“  
“There’s no higher honour than dying while in service. It means you were useful, worthy, strong enough to keep going. There are no early retirements on Irk, Dib-Friend.”  
“That’s... really shitty. I’m sorry.”   
Zim stood up.  
“We should pick up that feed for your Annabelle.”

Following after Zim, the teen started to regret mentioning the alien’s home planet so much.  
“It’s uhm.. your turn to ask a question.”  
Glancing over to his counterpart Zim nodded.  
“Why are you humans so freakishly hairy? It’s kind of icky.”  
Dib laughed which made the balloon in Zim’s chest burst, leaving a warm tingly feeling along his organ protecting bones.  
“The thing is, it all starts in the beginning.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Surprisingly enough, they had cow feed at the local pet shop like Zim had said.  
It wasn’t anything that was ‘high grade’ but it would do in a pinch.  
Dib fed Annabelle and even gave some of the feed to GIR because he insisted he try some.  
Zim stood by the couch and mumbled something that the other in the room could hardly hear.  
“Sorry, didn’t catch that.”

“Zim asked if you would like to see the lab.”  
Dib practically beamed.  
“Yeah. That’d be super cool. Dad never lets me or Gaz in his lab. I should probably put Annabelle outside though.”  
Zim nodded.  
“GIR, take Annabelle out to the back yard and don’t let her wander. Minimoose, keep an eye on them.”  
GIR nodded and Dib watched happily as a small purple moose floated lazily after the cow and the poorly disguised robot.

Zim led the teen to the couch elevator and had the computer send them to floor six.  
“Hey, Zim? I don’t wanna take turns asking questions anymore. Can we just ask each other shit whenever? Like friends I guess.”  
The Irken’s mouth was dry.   
Never in his many years had he actually had someone that he thought counted as a friend.  
It felt...  
Good?  
“If that it’s what the Dib wishes. So then like friends I guess.”

The door slid open and the pair walked into the lab.  
“Maybe some other time I’d take you somewhere off planet?”  
“Like where?”  
“Anywhere you’d like.”  
Dib smiled.  
“That’d be nice, but I have to go to university next year. I’m not sure I’d have time.”  
The thought of Dib not having time for him made Zim’s spooch clench and unclench in a sickening way.  
“Would going to the university make Dib happy?”

If he had to he’d attend as well. He wasn’t sure what he’d major in but he’d-  
“No, but it’s what my Dad wants so I have to.”  
Zim looked up curiously at Dib.  
“Why? Is your Dad sending you on a mission? I didn’t think humans had to do anything of the sort.”  
“We don’t. My Dad just wants me to take over Membrane Farms when he retires so he’s been preparing me for this for as long as I can remember.”

“What is it that would make you happy?”  
For whatever reason the question brought tears to Dib’s eyes.  
“Oh! You’re leaking. Zim didn’t mean-“  
“No, it’s okay. It’s just it’s rare that people ask me what I want and are actually prepared to listen.”  
It was hard to see between fat tears and fogged up glasses but Dib watched as Zim took his hand and led him over to a large wire that ran along the floor of the lab.  
“Sit, and if the Dib is okay, tell Zim.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one came out later than usual because it’s a bit longer and I had a lot on my plate yesterday.  
> But yeah, we’re getting somewhere


	5. Things Might Be Okay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I’m just... soft

Embarrassingly enough, Dib told the Alien everything.  
Despite his efforts he continued to weep in Zim’s arms.  
“I jus want my own life. But it’s stupid an I’m bein stupid an-“  
“You are far from stupid, Dib. I’ve only known you a short period of time and it’s plain to see that you are kind, smart, and compassionate. It’s okay to want something different, it doesn’t make you a bad person. Humans are allowed to be like that.”

Dib sighed.  
“Doesn’t feel that way.”  
The Irken scooped Dib up, shockingly strong for his diminutive size. Dib gasped in shock and hung on.  
“Well you have discovered Zim despite his Irken elite stealth thus you’d make an amazing parachute investigator!”  
“Hehe, it’s paranormal. But you were close.”  
“Come! Zim must show you something.”

It wasn’t like he had much of a choice with Zim’s iron grip on his body so Dib let the elite carry him into a different room.  
This one was large and circular. A platform moved them into the centre of the room.  
Zim helped the teen stand next to him as a holographic map of space appeared in front of them.  
Dib gasped in awe.  
“Computer. Show us Irk.”  
The map moved to display a large planet with 18 moons in front of them.

“Wow, that’s your home planet? It’s so big.”  
“Yes, it is spectacular. Unfortunately it is not fit for visits as non-Irken life forms are considered ‘untrustworthy’.”  
“Oh.”  
Zim was about to order the computer to show them Blorch when Dib piped up.  
“Do you think I’m trustworthy?”  
Zim twitched and played with the hem of his tunic.  
“Yes, I think the Dib is trustworthy.”  
“Then what would make you happy, Zim? What do you want?”

The alien looked into the humans warm brown eyes and resisted the urge to hold him again.  
The Dib looked beautiful in this light.  
“Zim is... unsure at the moment. I thought I knew but... now I don’t. But being here with you makes me happy.”  
“Then I’ll have to make sure that I hang out with you more often.”  
“Thank you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They spent the next three hours looking at different parts of space and playing alien video games.  
They were both pretty bad.  
Zim looked over at Dib.  
“Hungry?”  
Dib nodded.  
“Famished.”  
“Are taco’s alright? I told GIR he could have tacos.”  
Dib smiled.   
“Tacos are perfect.”

This time they took the elevator that led up to under the end table so Zim had an excuse to stand closer to Dib.  
The human fed Annabelle and GIR pulled on the hood of his disguise.  
“Minimoose, watch over Annabelle while we’re out, okay?”  
“Nyah!”  
Dib looked over at Zim.  
“He said it’s taken care of, let’s go.”  
Dib scratched Annabelle behind the ears and followed Zim a few blocks west to crazy taco.

Once inside Dib heard his phone ring.  
“I gotta take this, just order me whatever, okay?”  
Zim nodded and stood in line as Dib went to stand outside.  
“Hello?”  
“Hey, when are you coming home?”  
The teen smiled, his sister gave a shit.  
“Later tonight. I met someone and he’s dropping me off.”  
He heard a slightly suppressed laugh on the other end.  
“So it’s a day long booty call?”  
“Gaz! No! I’ll tell you later.”  
Dib blushed, thankful that there wasn’t anyone in the deserted parking lot that could see him.  
“Whatever, just know that you gotta pay me for that extra work.”  
“Okay, how about...”  
Dib checked his pockets.  
“Twenty?”  
“Twenty-five.”  
“Fine.”

Gaz hung up first as per usual. So dib went back into the taco place.  
“Ah! Dib-beast! We are order number eight-hundred thirty-six. I bought you a burrito with pork and various vegetables as well as a medium poop cola.”  
Dib smiled.  
“Thanks. I can pay you back for-“  
“Nonsense! The Dib is Zim’s guest and will be treated as such.”  
“You’re sure it’s fine?”  
“Of course I’m sure! I’m Zim!”  
The kid behind the counter places a few bags over by pickup.  
“Order Eight thirty-six?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the walk back to Zim’s house Dib filled the air with talk of cryptozoology.  
“And so it’s obvious that aquatic monsters such as the Loch Ness Monster, Shuswaggi, or the Ogopogo are actually variants of dinosaurs that somehow survived the meteor and have been surviving in the lakes for eons.”  
“I’m not entirely sure what you’re talking about but it’s pretty interesting.”  
Dib smiled.  
“I have magazines at home. I’ll show you sometime.”

Zim held the door open for GIR and the strange human.  
They brought Annabelle and Minimoose inside and sat together on the couch to watch a movie.  
Neither parties payed much attention to the movie, Dib was too lost in thought and Zim was simply too enamoured with the human to notice a movie was playing.  
“What’s it like living on an Earth farm?”  
Dib shrugged.  
“I’m probably an outlier because of my dad’s insane takes on agriculture. It’s kinda lonely? I don’t have a lot of friends at school and there aren’t a lot of people my age around. But it’s quieter and the air is cleaner.”

Zim nodded.  
“The Dib never has to be lonely again if you would like.”  
The human’s face turned pink at the compliment, much to Zim’s confusion.  
“Is something wrong?”  
“What?”  
“Your face.”  
The alien carefully cupped Dib’s face in his gloved hands and pulled it closer to get a better look.  
“It’s all pink and warm. Is it supposed to do that?”

This caused the humans cheeks and ears to turn a darker shade of pink.  
“I’m fine it’s just,”  
Dib tried desperately to compose himself.  
“That’s really sweet of you to say. Thanks, space boy.”  
Zim smiled, understanding what it meant.  
“You also have these little spots along your face, but those are always there.”  
“You mean my freckles? They’re there because I’m outside so much. I have em on my shoulders too.”  
The teen pulled the neck of his shirt down a bit to show Zim the darker patches of skin that reached along his sun-beaten shoulders.  
“Wow.”

Was it weird that Dib felt a sense of pride as Zim ogled at his body? Maybe so.   
Was he unnecessarily excited when Zim moved to sit a bit closer? Absolutely.  
He couldn’t care less.  
But we’re his people even able to grasp the concept of love? Did Dib actually love Zim? Was that this feeling?  
“Hey, Zim? Did you uh... ever have a girlfriend or something back on Irk?”  
Zim just chuckled. Here it came, the moment of truth.  
“No, the urge to mate was coded out of Irkens a long time ago once the control brains started cloning us. Though defective Irkens have been known to have”  
Zim let out a shaky breath he hadn’t known he had in his body.  
“Urges to do so.”

The human nodded slowly.  
“But did they need to? Cloning I mean?”  
The little alien pulled his feet up onto the couch to hold his legs close to his body.  
“Well, no. Though they could take the best of the best and have perfect genetic copies of them saved for later. It was for the best.”  
“But was it? You say the control brains saved you and gave you your paks. But I think they gave you something that you couldn’t live without on purpose! To control you, to make sure every Irken knew that they literally couldn’t live without the control brains. I think they conquered your people a long time ago.”

The rational part of Zim’s mind knew that this made sense.   
“No!”  
But he was too emotional.  
“The control brains are benevolent and giving. We have historical texts about the pre control brain Irk. It was-“  
“Written by the control brains. Zim, similar shit has happened on Earth. It’s okay, you just need to be aware of it.”  
“YOU LIE! Only defective Irken’s think such thoughts! Lies! You’re lying! ZIM IS NOT DEFECTIVE! I AM NOt...”  
The words died on his tongue as he broke down into a fit of sobs.

“Hey, it’s okay. Can I hug you? I’m just gonna-“  
Dib pulled Zim’s shaking form into his lap and held him close.  
“You’re gonna be okay. I don’t have to ask any more questions about it.”  
The Irken pressed his face into Dibs chest and raised his antenna up to run through his messy head of hair.  
Flinching but not moving away from the act, Dib continued to whisper reassurances to the alien.  
His space boy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They had fallen back into ease a few eternal moments later, yet Zim had decided to remain in Dib’s lap.  
“Das okie dokie, Mary. Master gets like dat sometimes.”  
GIR stood by the edge of the couch. His teal eyes looking up at them.  
“I worry ‘bout that boy so much.”  
Zim grumbled into Dib’s chest.  
“GIR, ‘m fine.”  
He sat up and hugged his human.  
“Thank you.”

Dib gently placed his hands under the Irken’s pak and held him tight.  
“No problem, Zim.”  
Zim sat up, his magenta eyes taking in Dib’s form.  
“It’s late, I should probably take you home.”  
The human sighed and nodded.  
“Okay. You can visit me any time you’d like.”  
The alien nodded and stood up, leading Dib and Annabelle to the elevator.  
“GIR, stay here and guard the base with Minimoose. I will return shortly.”

They went up to the attic where Dib gazed at the voot excitedly.  
The pair helped Annabelle into the back before sitting in the front.  
The teen gasped as the roof opened up and the voot lifted up and out.  
“So cool!”  
They weren’t even ten minutes in and Annabelle had already leaned forward to try and nibble on Zim’s antenna.  
“Dib! Control your cow thing!”  
The human carefully pushed the animal’s face away from the back of Zim’s head.

“Sensitive antennae, space boy?”  
Instead of saying anything, the Irken just nodded.  
“May I? I’ll be gentle, I swear.”  
Zim looked over at Dib, sighed and made a few short clicking noises in the back of his throat, and positioned his antennae so that they leaned outstretched towards Dib.  
Carefully, the teen ran a finger from the base of Zim’s left antennae to the tip of it.  
The alien sighed happily and struggled to keep the ship straight.

Dib smiled a bit.  
“Maybe another time when you aren’t flying the ship.”  
Mortified, Zim nodded.  
The rest of the flight was relaxed as the pair asked each other questions and told stories.  
“- And then they spent the rest of the day trying to get Annabelle up from that pond!”  
Zim laughed.  
“Well it was hot out.”  
“I know.”  
Dib reached back to pet the tired cow.  
“Poor baby. She’s awful tired.”  
The Irken looked over at the boy and smiled.  
“You are too. Fortunately we’re here.”

Zim landed in the apple orchard.  
On membrane farms, the fruit was always ripe, even off season.  
“Zim trusts that the Dib is capable of putting his cow beastie back in her enclosure and then getting inside, yes?”  
Dib nodded.  
“All good.”  
Zim helped Dib get Annabelle out of the voot anyway.  
“Before I fly back to my base I’d like to give you this. So here, Dib-smelly.”  
Dib was handed a small pink rectangular device that had a keypad at the front and what looked like a leans in the middle of it.  
“Type in my name and you will be able to call me anywhere on or off this dirty planet.”

Dib felt overwhelmed at the small wonderful gift.  
“Thanks. If you wouldn’t mind, I’d also like to give you something before you left.”  
“Of course you can! Bestow your gifts upon Zim!”  
Before he could change his mind, Dib quickly kissed Zim on his cheek.  
“Thanks for giving me a ride home, I’ll see you later.”  
The human ushered his cow away from the ship and towards her pasture.  
“Y-yes! Zim will see Dib at a later time! Thank you for the gift I will cherish it!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Watching Zim’s ship fade off into the distance made Dib’s heart soar.  
He carefully led Annabelle back into the pasture with the other cows and snuck back into the house.  
He was just able to make it to his door when:  
“Hey, Casanova. You’re back late.”  
Gaz stood at the edge of her room, smirking at her older brother.  
“Gaz I swear to god. I was abducted by an alien. His name is Zim and he has a robot dog and a floating moose and everything.”

Gaz snickered to herself.  
“Yeah okay, Dib. I’m sure your boyfriend is actually human and you’re going to ruin it with one of your weird conspiracies. I hope that poor Zim guy knows what he’s getting himself into.”  
Dib crossed his arms.  
“He’s really an alien! He made that crop circle and abducted Annabelle. That’s how I got on his ship.”  
Gaz sighed.  
“I dunno if you’re drunk or high right now, but you should sleep it off.”

Dib sighed.  
“Whatever, you’ll probably meet him some time soon anyway.”  
“Go to bed, ya vagrant.”  
“Fine.”  
Giving Gaz twenty-five bucks and then escaping into his room the teen breathed in the space. A wave of exhaustion crashed over him as he kicked off his shoes and took off his shirt.  
His thoughts lingered on the kiss he had given Zim.  
It felt right? Yes. But Irkens were incapable of love. But the way he was looking at him.   
Refusing to dwell on it any longer, Dib closed his eyes, hoping for the extraordinary but expecting the average when he awoke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ultimate date. Tacos and propaganda.   
> Stay tuned for chapter 6..? Yes chapter 6.


	6. A Taste Of Freedom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oohhhh! Dib Gon get summmmm! Lots of fluff tho.

Nothing happened the next day.  
Dib kept waiting for Zim to show up, or give him a call to tell him to meet up somewhere.  
So he spent the whole day keeping an eye out for anything that would be out of the ordinary.  
And yet nothing happened.  
Later that evening he called Zim.  
Neither of them dared to mention the kiss.  
“Is the Annabelle doing well?”  
Dib laughed.  
“Yeah. She misses you actually.”  
The alien on the projected hologram screen smiled pridefully.  
“Of course she does! Who wouldn’t miss Zim? Uh... does the Dib miss Zim also?”

The prideful expression fell from his face but returned when the human responded with.  
“Yeah, I miss you a lot actually.”  
“Well Zim also misses your large head.”  
Dib huffed indignantly and looked away, which Zim found adorable.  
“First of all! It’s not that big. I grew into my head years ago and it suits my body just fine thanks! And second! If you miss me so much, why didn’t you come over today? I wouldn’t have minded.”  
The Irken smiled mischievously.  
“Zim thinks you will find out later.”

Dib raised an eyebrow.  
“A surprise, hmm? Okay. Maybe when you stop by you could stay for dinner?”  
Zim nodded.  
“Irkens can only really eat carbs and sugar though.”  
“That’s fine. Listen, I gotta be up early again tomorrow so I’m gonna go.”  
Zim nodded.  
“I still don’t understand how humans sleep for so long and still survive as a species. Sleep well, Dib human.”  
“Night, Zim.”  
The ‘I love you’ died on Dib’s tongue.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day started off as business as usual, Gaz was getting ready for her shift at the farmers market when she heard a voice.  
“Farm drone! I requested an audience with the Dib.”  
Whipping around to beat the shit out of whoever the fuck thought it was a good idea to call her ‘farm drone’ or anything similar, Gaz instead stopped dead in her tracks.  
“No fucking way.”  
Before her stood a very short, very green, very out of place looking teen with black hair, purple eyes. He didn’t have a nose ears or more than six fingers, but he did have a dog that was even greener and somehow made him look even more odd. 

The dog screeched something about butterflies and traffic lights. It’s metallic voice like nails on a chalkboard made the hairs on Gaz’s neck stand on end.  
Tetris growled at the pair, but hid behind the girls legs.  
“It’s Zim right? Dib mentioned you. He’s making himself lunch in the kitchen. Just let yourself in, it’s fine.”  
The alien nodded and dragged his weird probably not even a dog towards the farm house.  
“Can’t believe Dib was right.”  
The faithful Dog pressed his face into Gaz’s hand.

Zim made it to the screen door.  
For a second he had thought that Earth girl was able to see through his disguise or GIR’s.  
He shouldn’t be so foolish. They blended in with the humans seamlessly.  
Speaking of humans, there was his human.   
He was stirring something in a pot over the stove.  
Zim’s mood changed for the better as he pushed open the door and kept a tighter hold on GIR’s leash.

“Dib-human. Zim trusts you’re doing well?”  
At the sound of his voice the teen gasped and almost dropped the wooden spoon.  
“Zim? Wow, when did you get here, last night? You should’ve called me, I’d only be a little annoyed if you woke me up.”  
The alien laughed.  
“I just got here, I was able to disguise my voot so that it could blend in with Earth traffic.”  
“Is that the surprise?”  
Immediately Zim looked worried.  
“I mean yes, if the Dib doesn’t like it I can-“  
“Actually, I think it’s cool that you can visit whenever you’d like now.”

Pride immediately restored the Irken smiled.  
“I knew you’d like it. Humans are so easily impressed.”  
Dib rolled his eye and drained the hot water from the pot into the sink.  
“Whatever, ya goblin. Do you want some kraft? It’s basically just carbs and processed cheese.”  
Zim nodded and Dib gave him a bowl of the boxed macaroni before eating the rest out of the pot.  
Zim enjoyed the strange Earth dish primarily because Dib had made it.

Once finished Dib stood up.  
“I’ve gotta go harvest some wheat. Wanna come?”  
The irken nodded and followed Dib out towards the field. As they were walking Zim gasped.  
“There it is! Oh, you have to see and appreciate the holographic technology!”  
The human’s eyes widened as he stared at an incredibly purple Volkswagen.  
The alien had decided to park the bug next to the tractor which acted as a strong contrast.  
Shiny and bright against dull and rusty.

“Wow, it’s so...”  
Words failed Dib.  
“Purple.”  
Zim sighed contently, a dopey lovestruck look upon his face as he looked at the hidden spaceship.  
“I know, right? Amazing! Clearly the superior colour!”  
Enjoying his enthusiasm, the human continued to walk towards the combine that sat at the edge of the field, Zim on his heels.  
“I’m glad it makes you happy and it is a really good disguise.”

Zim profusely agreed with his human as they approached the machine.  
It too was old and rusted, Membrane not caring to spend money on what wasn’t science related.  
Dib pulled off his shirt and climbed aboard.  
“Come on up. You can sit on my lap.”  
Zim stood still in awe and shock as to the teen’s actions.  
His shirt was gone. His armour stashed away. And here he offered to have Zim so close to him? This was the ultimate form of trust to many life forms.

The disguised Irken snapped out of his small trance so that he didn’t look like a fool and followed the path that the Dib used to climb the old combine.  
He sat on the human’s lap and pressed his body against the Dib’s.  
“How are you so hairy? Is it a human thing or a Dib thing?”  
Immediately feeling self conscious the teen shrugged.  
“Depends on the human I guess. Some are hairy and some aren’t. I can put the shirt back on if you don’t-“  
“No! Uh,”  
Zim took a second to compose himself.  
“It is fine.”

Dib blushed a little and turned on the combine.  
The machine roared to life as Dib drove it across the field.  
Straight perfect lines as his father had taught him.  
The alien in his lap looked out at the sea of flowing gold, transfixed and at ease.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later that evening, the two were walking back from the farmer’s market.  
“Josie really likes you.”  
The alien scoffed.  
“Of course, everyone likes Zim!”  
Then moving to walk closer to Dib he asked:  
“Next time you see her, could you tell her that I found her baking skills adequate?”  
The human put his arm around the alien’s shoulder.  
“Don’t worry space boy, I’ll tell her you liked the cookie.”

Zim’s mind wander to visions of Dib with his shirt off as he was pulled close to his lean form.  
The human was sticky and stinky, but his body was slender and strong and it caused Zim to think about things Irkens aren’t supposed to think about.  
But Dib was so amazing and pretty, surely it wouldn’t hurt if Zim at least tried to win over his affections.  
“Will I be meeting your parental unit later this evening?”  
For some weird reason it was an Earth custom to meet someone’s parents if you wished to be that person’s love pig. Make sure that they liked you or something.  
It was foolish, but probably important to the Dib.

For whatever reason, Zim’s human looked a bit sad.  
“I doubt he’ll show up. He never does. Way to busy with bullshit no one needs.”  
The alien nodded slowly.  
“You know what, Zim? We will see him tonight!”  
There was a spark of determination in the man’s eyes that made Zim’s spooch flip.  
“He owes it to me to at least show up to meet you.”  
The pair came upon the farm.  
Gaz and Simmons had started dinner as per usual.

This evening they were having home made mini pizzas.  
GIR who had stayed back at the farm squealed in delight as his master had returned.  
“Talented dog you’ve got there.”  
Commented Simmons.  
“He’s been sitting under the table and drawing for a while now.”  
There were indeed a plethora of colourful doodles on many sheets of paper.  
“Hang on.”  
Dib released his soft grip on Zim’s shoulder and walked towards the basement.

GIR stood up, banged his head on the table, and handed Zim a piece of paper.  
“Here! Is you an Mary!”  
On the paper was a coloured hastily drawn picture of Dib and himself. They sat there on the paper, arm in arm. The both had big smiles on their faces, happy that they had each other on the otherwise blank paper.  
The Irken smiled as he longed for his life to mirror the image that his robot had given him.  
“Thank you, GIR. I love it.”  
The robot clapped his little hands in delight.

“I’m telling you, dad! It’s important!”  
Heavy footsteps moved up the stairs behind Dib’s voice and Zim immediately felt like he was going to throw up due to nerves.  
Gaz muttered something under her breath along the lines of ‘no fucking way’.  
Professor Membrane emerged from the basement door alongside his son.  
The intimidating human scanned the room before his eyes landed on Zim.  
“Oh!”  
An understanding tone pulled Membrane’s voice upwards.  
“You must be Gaz’s boyfriend. I’m glad she finally met someone.”

The purple haired girl’s nose crinkled in disgust.  
“Dad, no! Ew! I’d sooner shove a rat up my vagina. Zim’s here with Dib.”  
“Oh, right! I’m very proud of you son and I’m happy that you’ve found someone who you love regardless of their gender.”  
Zim was confused but still Dib wished for nothing more than the ground to open up and swallow him whole in that moment.  
“Dad-“  
Membrane pulled his eldest child in for a one arm hug as he addressed the rest of the room.  
“Since it is a special occasion I will be joining you for dinner this evening.”

Dib sighed, overwhelmed by it all as everyone went back to what they were doing.  
“Well? Aren’t you going to introduce your boyfriend?”  
Before the teen could correct his father Zim had already made a hasty approach.  
“My name is Zim, sir. Zim Hoomin.”  
His little gloved hand outstretched for a professional hand shake.  
Dib went to glare at the Irken but noticed how his gaze was locked on Membrane’s goggles in an attempt to look him in the eye as he spoke. Zim also looked... nervous?  
Not wanting to add to the alien’s nerves, Dib stayed silent.

Membrane smiled behind the coat and took Zim’s hand in his own, not minding the lack of two of his fingers, and shook it firmly.   
“Very nice to meet you. I’m Professor Membrane or just Membrane for short. I’m glad my son finally has someone, he’s always been such a lonely child.”  
The ‘lonely child’ in question cleared his throat to remind his dad that he was right fucking there and that he could in fact hear him talking shit.  
“Okay, I’ll stop boring you two for now. Go ahead and make up your pizzas.”   
Dib made a classic pepperoni while Zim had just cheese on his.  
The human grabbed a can of pop from the fridge and ushered Zim out onto the porch.

The porch swing was old and rickety, but the wood wasn’t rotten so it was kinda safe.  
Eating their pizza’s off of paper towel and sharing the generic pop, they sat in a calm silence for a bit.  
“So my dad thinks we’re dating now.”  
Dib laughed dryly.  
“Zim is sorry.”  
The crestfallen alien did his best to look anywhere except at Dib.  
“There are worse things than dating you I’d imagine. Honestly I think I’d actually enjoy being with you.”  
Zim stiffened and carefully looked up at the human.

“I’m being serious. You’re smart, funny, adorable, sweet, strong, reliable, resilient, and from another planet. I don’t think you get how cool that is.”  
Dib was sure he was shaking as the alien who mentioned that his species didn’t feel love eyed him up and down.  
“Would the Dib like to know what I thought of him?”   
Surprised by the response, Dib nodded.  
“Well! My Dib human is kind, clever, responsible, brave, cute, fun, and very soft. Anyone would be lucky to have you as a mate.”  
Heat rose up from his spooch and filled in his chest cavity.

“So, did you want to start, uh...”  
“Courting? Yes, that would be nice. Does the Dib also wish to...”  
“Yeah. That’d be nice.”  
For the next while the two sat close together. Dib with Zim, as it should be.  
Despite the fact that it was a double seated porch swing, Zim sat across Dib’s lap so he could properly whisper sweet nothings into Zim’s antennae and so that Zim could rest his head against Dib’s form.

“So... Zim ‘Hoomin’? Really?”  
“My fake middle name is Nermal.”  
Dib laughed uncontrollably, much to the annoyance of the alien in his lap.  
“What?!”  
“Like the cat from Garfield?”  
The Irken clicked and hissed in irritation.  
“No! Like ‘Normal Human’ to throw off suspicion!”  
“Yep. Because nothing says inconspicuous like Garfield’s rival.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Professor Membrane insisted that Zim stayed as their guest that month.  
He Said that he was happy that Dib had someone and he figured it was best that they spend more time together.  
And he probably meant it.  
But he really wanted to keep Zim around for questions.  
Queries about his family, his skin condition, where he was from, what he did, etcetera.  
When Zim told the man that he used to work in the field of biotech he almost cried tears of joy.

It had been most of said month and Zim had his own set of chores such as feeding the hens because Dib hated it, checking on the orchards because Gaz didn’t want Dib to get away with having one less chore, and while Dib was at the market he’d help Simmons and Membrane in the lab till Dib returned.  
At this time the new couple sat under a tree in the cow pasture.  
Annabelle had her head resting in Dib’s lap while Zim fluttered his antenna along the young Membrane’s absurd cowlick.  
“You didn’t have to start helping out.”  
“But I wanted to. And those chickens were very rude to you and I didn’t want my cute mate unhappy.”  
Dib sighed.

“Yeah, but then Gaz made you take one of her chores to make it fair and then dad wanted your input on the shit he’s doing. I just don’t want you to overwork yourself.”  
The alien kissed Dib’s cheek.  
“It’s okay, I promise.”  
As soon as Zim had started dating Dib he went to the internet to try and find out all he could about human courtship.  
He thought he was doing pretty well for a beginner.  
“Zim wishes to show the Dib something later tonight. Is that okay?”  
“Okay, not too late though.”

That evening Dib was so excited and yet the wait felt like an eternity.  
At around half past eleven that night Zim nudged Dib, who was listening to a mysterious mysteries podcast on his phone.  
“Ready to go?”  
“I was ready hours ago. Unless I need to change?”  
The Irken though about it for a bit.  
“If you feel like it’s necessary. Zim can change into an alternate outfit as well.”  
Agreeing that they’d best dress up for their small date Zim got changed in the closet while Dib had the rest of his room.

The human decided to go for something simple yet tasteful.  
A clean plain pastel blue button up, some black jeans, and a pair of little black shoes.  
When Zim emerged from the closet Dib had to stifle a laugh.  
The satin purple cape he wore dragged along the floor behind him. Other than that his outfit was the same as before, only cleaner and more vibrant.  
“Nice cape.”  
“The Dib also looks very adorable this evening.”  
Hand in hand they snuck out of the house and over towards the voot.  
Dib was reminded of the first evening they had met.

The alien pressed a button on his little key fob and the holographic disguise fell away to reveal the space ship.  
“Where are we going?”  
“Somewhere that no other human-pig-weasel could take you, thats for certain!”  
The windshield opened up so that the couple could sit inside before it closed up again, tinting the dark world pink.  
Zim pressed a few buttons and then took the controls in hand flying them up and out.  
They just flew onward for a bit before Zim said:  
“Hang on, the G-force regulator is still a little... not good.”  
And before Dib could register what that meant, they were shooting up into the sky.

Troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and then finally the thermosphere.  
“It’s not Vort or Foodcortia, but seeing as you have things to do tomorrow, the planet’s orbit seemed like a good start. If you don’t like it, Zim understands and the Dib can pick the next date location th-“  
“Sorry, it’s just so breathtaking.”  
The whole of planet Earth spread out before him.  
His home.  
The way that outer space cocooned it in a blanket of stars and carbon made the human realize how big it all was.  
If the Earth was his home, how could he ever be lost? It was beautiful.

“Oh! Leaking! Zim is sorry, I made you leak through your eyes like injustice does. If it is scary we can go back.”  
“Zim it’s beautiful. I’m happy.”  
The little alien looked at him confused, somehow not transfixed by the beauty of the planet.  
“Humans leak when happy too? You people are strange.”  
Zim’s mini rant about how humans are never able to make up their Irk forsaken minds was cut short when Dib’s lips crashed into his own.  
“Thank you. I love it. I love you.  
“Zim loves his Dib-mate also.”

The pair continued to kiss there, huddled in the cockpit of the voot for some time.  
“Zim? I want to try something. If you aren’t comfortable with it though, just let me know okay?”  
Confused but not reluctant, Zim allowed Dib to shift so that he was sitting in his lap.  
“I’d like to... uh, you know? Stuff... it’s uhm... that thing people do when they like each other... like a lot. And when they wanna make their partner feel good an stuff...”  
His human was bright red from embarrassment, which was super cute. The Irken was able to catch on to what Dib was saying.

“Oh! So my Dib wishes to partake in mating activities, yes?”  
“You made it sound so much hotter than I did, but yes.”  
Zim purred in delight and slowly unbuttoned his mate’s shirt, enjoying the beautiful sun kissed skin underneath.  
“My Dib, you are so wonderful. A work of art.”  
While the alien was kissing up and down along Dib’s torso, the human gently took one of the alien’s long black stalks between his forefinger and thumb and stroked it lightly.  
“Oh~! Yes, Dib-love! Give more to Zim.”

They started to grind their hips against each other, causing friction and heat that was addicting and yet unbearable.  
“Zim! I need you.”  
The invader pulled off his tunic and gloves before resting his hands on Dibs lower back.  
He was so warm, his body tight and and strong.  
“Dib-love, you’re so perfect. Zim wants more.”  
The Irken purred seductively, holding his lover in his arms while taking off the black jeans and weird tiny pants humans insisted upon wearing under their clothes. 

Dib was ‘erect’ as the internet had foretold and for the most part, looked like the few reference pictures he had searched up.  
Generous size, bright red tip, curly black hair at it’s base, etcetera.   
Holding onto his very pretty human, Zim tried to pull off his own leggings.  
“Here, let me help.”  
Dib straddled the alien and helped him push off the pants and holy shit.  
What could only be described as deep magenta tentacle that moved and twitched looking for an entrance. Instead of suckers along one side it was ribbed. The way the green skin transitioned into pink was mesmerizing.  
“Wow...”

“We can stop if you-“  
“No, it’s fine. I’ve just never done this with anyone before, much less anyone that wasn’t human.”  
“Is the Dib unhappy that Zim isn’t human? Is that it?”  
“No! No. If anything, I think it’s actually hotter that you’re from a different planet.”  
Zim trilled a little bit, happy he was able to satisfy his mate so far.  
“Then, is my love ready to continue?”  
“Yes, please be gentle?”  
“Zim will do his best~.”

It was slick.  
The human could feel it move along his backside.  
The prehensile cock found it’s mark and Zim carefully brought Dib down upon his member.  
Another deep rumbling purr escaped the Irken’s throat at the tight warmth slowly encasing his breading spike.  
The human on top of him shaking as he was filled, the most gorgeous expression of lust and uncertainty on his face.  
When he bottomed out Dib gasped and clutched Zim’s shoulders.  
“H-hang on a sec.”  
His heart was pounding out of his chest.

Controlling his breath Dib rested his forehead against Zim’s.  
The alien carefully running his hands and antenna through the human’s already messed up hair.  
“Okay, I’m ready.”  
The Irken bucked his hips up into the warmth as his breeding spike rubbed and moved up against its new territory.  
The Dib-human was his and his alone.   
They couldn’t be kept apart, nothing would keep them apart.  
Such a needy human, he wished for a kiss from his mate.  
But Zim was nothing if not benevolent so he captured the humans lips in his own.

His tongue was so small and flat.  
Fascinating. A work of art.  
On Irk there was no need for art.  
There was no need for this.  
And yet, Zim found that he could no longer bare to live without his mate, his Dib.  
“Fuck~! There, again!”  
The alien gripped the thighs of the man above him and lifted him up with great strength before slamming him back down into his lap, arching his breeding spike so that it rubbed the inside of his mate in all the right ways.  
“Is my Dib-mate pleased~?”  
“Y-es.”

A mischievous glint sparked in Zim’s eye.  
“It is unfortunate that Zim cannot hear you~.”  
Dib huffed indignantly.  
“It feels so good. I- AH~! Need more. Please, make me yours~.”  
Zim’s tongue traced the edge of Dibs collar bone.   
“Foolish to assume that you did not already belong to Zim, I am merely claiming my mate in proper ancient Irken tradition~.”  
Dib shivered and then screamed a bit when the alien bit down on his neck.  
It was just hard enough to break the soft skin, hot blood leaked out of the mark which Zim licked at for a bit as he continued to move his hips against Dib’s ass.

“Dib is now Zim’s mate and vice versa.”  
“Yeah?”  
“Yes, Zim has claimed you as his because you are the best.”  
The human laughed a short breathless laugh and pulled Zim closer to his body.  
“Good. ‘Cause I really do love you. Can I mark you as well~?”  
“It is the way.”  
Tilting his head as a silent invitation for his Dib, the Irken prepared himself.  
Dull teeth pressed against his skin, carefully adding more pressure to deepen the mark.  
A soft hiss from the invader and it was done.  
Relishing the way his beautiful mate kissed the mark and the area around it, Zim snapped his hips upward with a deep purr.

No longer able to contain himself, Zim slammed in and out of Dib, eliciting loud gasps and angelic moans of pleasure from his human.  
“S-shit! So good~! Mmnn!”  
The man’s hot member twitched between their sweaty bodies as the alien helped his mate rise and fall to create beautiful friction.  
“Zim! I’m gunna-“  
Before he could finish that though white hot ropes of cum shot out of the tip of Dib’s member, coating both of their chests and bellies.  
A haze took over the human’s vision as his orgasm slowed down the world.  
Zim chirped and clicked out something in a language Dib couldn’t recognize when not completely blissed out before his pale pink orgasm pumped itself into the human’s guts.

A few clicks of approval as Zim kissed along his mate’s perfect jawline and rode out his high.  
There was a lot, even in his half sentient mind Dib knew that.  
“Fuuuccckkk.”  
“W-was it not satisfactory.”  
“Nah.”  
Dib muttered.  
“It was just better than I ever imagined.”  
Chuckling softly into his mate’s neck, Zim found himself relived.  
“Zim also had a very good time.”  
“Can we head back home now? I think I’m gonna pass out.”

Nodding, the alien helped the human off of his breeding spike.  
Dib accidentally smacked his head on the roof of the voot because of course this couldn’t go off without a hitch.  
Zim wrapped Dib in the soft invader issue blanket that came with every voot, bragged a bit that it was made on Vort so it was made from the softest materials, and got dressed before flying the ship back down to earth.  
It wasn’t long before they landed on the farm, Zim flying extra smooth so as not to disturb his mate.

Carefully picking up Dib, still wrapped in the blanket but now asleep, as well as his clothes, the Irken disguised the voot and slipped back inside up the stairs and into the Dib’s bedroom.  
Removing the teens glasses and tucking him in, Zim smiled fondly at him before taking off his clothes and climbing into the bed with him.  
“Thought Irken’s were too good for sleep or somthin’.”  
The human’s half awake words were sweet and warm like honey.  
“We are, fortunately my Dib can rest east knowing that his mate can protect him.”  
“Thank fuck fer that.”

Shifting closer and putting an arm around Dib’s worn out body, Zim sighed, content with the world.  
He didn’t want to ruin this moment so he tried not to think of how he would have to hand this planet over to his leaders, but he failed.  
How would Dib take it? Would he be mad? Would Zim be able to keep him when he returned to Irk? Would Dib even want to go with him?  
A small pain in his chest weighed him down as he tried desperately to think of something else while his mate slept peacefully beside him.  
Humans were capable of dreaming, the alien wondered what Dib was dreaming about.  
Maybe he dreamed of Zim or those paranormal beings he spoke of. Maybe he dreamed of Annabelle and his little family.   
Maybe Zim would ask when he woke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Catch me walking down the street in a ‘let Zim Fuck’ t-shirt.  
> But yeah, just guys being bros being dudes! All good. Took awhile bc I was busy an shit also it’s longer than my dick so yeah!  
> Stay tuned for chapter 7!


	7. White Hot Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh shit...

The next morning Dib wished he could just live there in Zim’s arms forever.  
The soft declarations of love that escaped his lips and the way he lightly massaged the human’s lower back was absolute nirvana.  
But there was shit to be done.  
“We gotta get up.”  
Still half asleep, Dib struggled to pull himself from Zim’s arms.  
Displeased by his lover’s actions, Zim grumbled and pulled Dib in closer.  
“If the Dib is tired than he should sleep. Zim can take care of the chores.”  
“Nope, you’re already doing plenty.”

Dib got up, stumbled due to the pain in his lower back and was caught by Zim.  
“You did this.”  
“Apologies, but if Zim recalls correctly, my Dib-mate was just begging for more~.”  
The pretty pink colour returned to the humans face.  
“Shush...”  
They got cleaned up and dressed and started on their chores and met back up with Gaz for breakfast.  
This morning Tetris sat outside instead of by Gaz’s feet.  
“That complete asshole of a dog stole my fucking toast.”  
Begrudgingly, the girl put a second slice of bread in the toaster.

“Ah yes. Your dilemma reminds Zim of the time GIR ate a baby. Pets are such a handful.”  
“I’m honestly not sure what to say to that.”  
Dib nodded in agreement.  
“Yeah, Zim. You can’t let him do that.”  
The human took his toast and coffee and sat next to the alien, wincing at the slight pain in his rear as he did so.  
This small gesture was not missed by his sister.  
“Holy shit.”  
“What?”  
“Dude you got fucked!”  
“GAZ!”

Zim looked a bit confused as Gaz laughed.  
“Gaz, swear,”  
“Silence bottom!”  
Dib didn’t even bother responding to that.  
Deciding that his mate was being attacked and he needed to aid his Dib, Zim stood up close to his mate’s side and growled.  
“Do not mock my mate or our courtship.”  
The girl opened one eye a bit wider than the other to glare menacingly at the alien her brother was trying to calm down.  
“Really, Zim. Just-“  
“Or what?”

Being addressed, the Irken stood up straighter.  
“Eh?”  
“What if I don’t stop making fun of you fools? What’re you gonna do?”  
The alien thought for a moment as his precious Dib-love did care about his kin, his loyalty admirable yet annoying, so he couldn’t threaten the evil Gaz with violence or destruction.  
“Zim will have to take the Dib to live with him at his base away from your dumb stinky face hole and ugly words. That is ‘so what’!”

Looking pleased with his small plan, Zim silently challenged the girl to try and stop him.  
“Cool, that’d mean I’d get the gaming den I’ve always wanted.”  
“You’d turn my room into a ‘gaming den’? That’s stupid.”  
“Your flatwood monster poster is stupid.”  
The raven haired teen gasped, clearly offended.  
“That was hand drawn by a woman who actually saw the creature forty-six years ago and I bought it from her for eighty bucks!”  
Zim couldn’t help but cringe.  
“The coloured wax drawing by your window? Zim thought you made that as a smeet.”

“No, Zim. She drew it with crayons because it was the first thing she could get her hands on after the encounter.”  
“But you paid eighty fare? That is a lot of bus fare Dib-love.”  
He added the suffix to soften the blow in letting his mate know he was clearly tricked.  
“See? Even your boyfriend who hasn’t grasped the Earth names for money and children knows you got scammed. Time to face the facts, your a bottom and a rube.”  
The human grumble something about an online forum before standing up and walking up to his room.

Gaz gestured to where Dib had just sulked up the stairs.   
“Follow him before he makes himself even sadder.”  
The alien nodded.  
“Zim has still not forgiven your provocative words.”  
“Whatever, I’ll try and be more mindful.”  
Taking whatever he could as an apology, Zim just smiled a bit and walked up the stairs.  
He arrived at his lover’s door soon enough.

A small knock on the door.  
“Can Zim come in?”  
Dib scoffed.  
“Dunno why you’d wanna. The room’s horribly decorated.”  
The barely there sound of the door opening alerted the human of his boyfriend’s presence. But he just lay there on top of the bed with his eyes closed.  
He heard the door click shut.  
Felt the shift in weight on the bed.  
Heard the words “Zim is sorry.”  
And his heart ached.  
“‘S not your fault.”

Sitting up and into his mate’s embrace, Dib couldn’t help but feel calmer.  
“It’s Gaz. She’s an asshole sometimes and makes fun of legit everything about me. My coat, my glasses, my studies, my banjo, and now my boyfriend.”  
“Zim isn’t sure what a banjo is.”  
Realizing that he had mentioned the instrument that now resided in the back of his closet, Dib wished that he could somehow rewind and do-over the whole day.  
“It’s nothing, just an instrument.”  
“Ooh! Humans play those on the streets for fare all the time. I’ll bet my Dib is wonderful at the banjo. Now play a song for Zim and I shall pay you in kisses!”

“It’s been years. It’s probably out of tune and I’m not even that good.”  
“Please?”  
Damn those big ole eyes.   
Reluctantly, Dib stood up and walked to the closet.  
His banjo sat just as he left it.  
In it’s case propped up against the back and leftmost wall.  
Holding it by it’s smooth handle and secretly relishing the weight of his instrument back in his hands, the human returned to the bed.  
Zim watched closely as to not miss anything.

Upon removing it from the case, the little alien gasped.  
“Zim has never seen such an instrument.”  
Holding it out so his mate could look properly, Dib shrugged.  
“Lots of people don’t know how to play it nor do they wanna learn. It’s kinda lame.”  
Carefully, Zim ran a finger along one of the strings.  
Not even having to think about it, he replied:  
“Well, not everyone is as smart as my beloved.”  
“Fine! I’ll play! Effing roach.”

Dibs cheeks were a gorgeous pink from all the flattery as he hoisted the banjo into playing position.  
Sour notes, it needed to be tuned.  
‘Not E, almost E, there it is.’  
Continuing this practice with the remaining strings Dib finished setting up his instrument and Zim applauded.  
“I just tuned it. I didn’t play anything.”  
“Oh. Sorry.”  
The Irken seemed embarrassed for clapping at the wrong time.  
“Here.”

Dib started to play a few notes and those few notes turned into a song.  
Making it up as he went, experimenting with different chords and notes to see how’d they’d sound together.  
The song the human wove together was light and playful.   
It reminded Zim of lazy afternoons with his Dib where they’d sit outside and tell each other stories of their past.  
A small smile tugged the corners of the alien’s mouth upward as he closed his eyes.  
Content and safe by his talent and pretty mate.

The song ended slowly so that Zim could savour the last bits of it.  
“I’m out of practice, but you seemed to like it anyways.”  
Opening his eyes to see his love, Zim nodded.  
“Yes, Zim’s mate is so skilled it was no surprise that you’d be good.”  
Dip put his banjo back in the case.  
“Didn’t you say something about paying me in kisses?”  
Leaning forward, Zim kissed his human.  
“Zim believes he might’ve said something like that.”  
And so held each other on the bed, exchanging a quiet ‘I love you’ every so often.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was around nine thirty.   
The closing credits for ‘Mysterious Mysteries glided up the screen of the television.  
“Zim needs to check on his base this evening. Would my Dib like to join Zim?”  
The human stretched from his seated position. Wincing as a few bones popped.  
“Nah. I went last time. And I should probably get some sleep after last night.”  
Sighing happily at the memory, the alien stood up.  
“As the Dib wishes. Zim will return before dawn.”  
“Try not to wake me when you get back, m’kay?”

Pressing a goodnight kiss to his mate’s lips Zim chuckled.  
“Dib-love, you sleep like the dead. I’m not too worried. Zim will be quiet anyway.”  
“Thanks. See you tomorrow, love ya.”  
“Zim loves you too.”  
And with that the alien was out the door.  
The night was cool and crisp, not a cloud in the sky.  
It was much easier to see the stars out here than back at Zim’s base.  
It seemed some humans had nothing better to do than destroy their own planet with pollutants.

Getting in the voot, Zim set off.  
He wished Dib was here with him to entertain him with banter and sweet talk.  
As the hour and a half passed on, the stars grew dimmer and the light pollution brighter.  
It wasn’t long before Zim found his base and landed.  
“It seems you’ve lost your shadow, master.”  
Scoffing at the computer’s snark, Zim got out of the ship.  
“My mate is his own person. And we had a late night last night and because humans need sleep he decided to stay home.”

“I trust you had a good time then.”  
The irken froze.  
“How did you know we-“  
“Lucky guess.”  
“Oh.”  
Coming out to the house level GIR screeched happily.  
“Mastah!!! I kept da house safe like you asked. Is all good!”  
“Thank you GIR. And thank you as well Minimoose. Your skills are admirable.”  
“Nyah!”  
Feeling a tug at his tunic Zim looked down to see his SIR unit.  
“Where’d Mary go?”  
“He’s staying home tonight. He’s tired.”  
“I’ll bet he is.”  
“Computer! Enough of your sass!”

“Oh, you’ve got a missed call, sir.”  
This was, odd... no one ever called.  
Maybe it was the Dib asking for something to be brought back.  
“Well? Who was it?”  
“The Almighty Tallest.”  
The computer had said this as if it was a normal occurrence.  
It was most certainly not.  
“QUICK! CALL THEM BACK! ZIM COMMANDS YOUUUU!!!”  
The computer did as it was told.

It wasn’t too long for the transmission to go through but it felt like an eternity for Zim.  
When the tallest saw who it was that called the looked at each other and burst into a fit of giggles.  
“My Tallest! For what reason did you contact Zim? More progress reports? Do you need me to report back to Irk?”  
It was Red who composed himself first.  
“You see Zim. An Irken’s Pak is directly connected to the control brains.”  
The tiny alien was confused.  
Before he could ask why this was relevant Purple was able to get a word in.  
“The control brains know everything we do. This includes crimes against Irk.”  
Zim’s eyes went wide in realization.

“No...”  
“But you see it’s true. And as Tallest they tell us these things. They have to ya know.”  
Tallest Red laughed.  
“Yeah. And as tallest we get to banish those law breaking Irkens. Speaking of, do you even know what you did wrong or are you too stupid?”  
Taking a shaky breath in and holding back tears Zim responded.  
“Zim has... mated with an alien species.”  
“See, Pur? Told ya he’d at least know.”  
“But he did it anyway. Defective Irken’s just don’t make sense. Best be cutting him off from the collective now.”

“My tallest! You can’t! Zim would be cut off from Irk, the control brains! Zim would no longer be registered as an Irken!”  
Tears now leaked out of his eye implants, they reflected the cold light from the screen.  
“Oh but you aren’t an Irken! There’s no room for imperfections on Irk. Thus why would you be part of the empire? The collective?”  
Purple nodded in agreement at what his co-leader said.  
It looked as if the small Irken were crying diamonds.  
“Zim is not defective. I can’t be.”  
The duo displayed on the transmission grinned wickedly showing off their sharp teeth.

“Oh but you are! Pur, would you like to do the honours?”  
“Yeah!”  
“Well I also wanna press the button, so we’ll do it together.”  
“Fine.”  
A console emerged from the floor below them.  
They typed in a few things before a large red button emerged.  
“Ready?”  
Red nodded and placed his hand on top of Purple’s.  
And at the same time the pressed the button that would rid them of Zim for good.

The little Irken felt a surge of electricity run through his spine and through the rest of his body.  
It was too much.  
Zim shrieked in pain before collapsing on the floor.  
The world grew dim, dark, and then there was nothing.  
The tall Irkens giggled to themselves as all the others in that room of the massive applauded and cheered!  
The little menace was gone!  
“Glad we finally got to do that!”  
“Yeah! What doughnut flavours should we celebrate with?”  
“Hmm, Norkfruit! It’s a big occasion!”  
“Good call, Pur.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Waking up Zim felt empty.  
Part of him was missing.  
He was officially defective, he could no longer deny this.  
Grief overwhelmed him as he whined in the dark.  
The grief didn’t take long to turn into rage as the alien contemplated why this had happened.  
‘This is all because of the Dib. He seduced me and made me defective! Wretched pig monkey!’  
Zim would be taking over the hideous planet. But not for his former Tallest, to show the Dib that Zim was stronger, more powerful. He could do whatever he wanted.  
He didn’t need Dib. He was okay.

First things first.  
Seeing as he was no longer a member of the Irken Empire, he need not follow their rules.  
He could tamper with his Pak, make himself taller, conquer this planet, and then have the Dib executed for slighting Zim. Or as a slave, even better!   
He’d make that human clean up after GIR or worse! Was there worse?   
Deciding to cross that bridge when he got to it, Zim stood up and dried his tears.

“Computer! Make preparations for a Pak altercation!”  
“Sir. I think I need to remind you that tampering with your Pak would be illegal and dangerous.”  
“Irk’s law no longer applies to us.”  
The computer started to ready the specific tools needed for the procedure.  
GIR walked in the room.   
“Sleep gud, Masta? I mades ya waffles fer bekfast!”  
Smiling down at his robotic henchman Zim loudly proclaimed:  
“Yes, GIR! And it is the dawn of a new era for Zim!”  
The computer sighed.  
“Actually it’s 12:56 in the afternoon.”

At that moment the computer screen displayed a transmission.  
Zim’s throat went dry.  
“Computer, send the transmission through.”  
Dib appeared on the screen.  
“Hey, you okay? Thought you’d be back by now.”  
For a moment, Zim was quiet, transfixed by the human.   
He just wanted to run to Dib, cry in his arms, hear from him that it was going to be okay.  
No. He had to stay strong.

“Zim will not be returning to your germ infested farm! Does the Dib even know what he has done?”  
Clearly taken aback by his boyfriend’s change in mood since the last time he saw him, Dib raised an eyebrow.  
“No? Enlighten me.”  
“You have somehow seduced Zim, thus tricking me into mating with you, therefore forcing Zim to break an Irken Empire law. As a result, I have been labeled as defective, cut off from the collective, and banished on the very backwater planet I was sent to invade!”

And the human was instantly furious.  
“I didn’t trick you into doing anything! Humans don’t work like that, dipshit! Also, ‘invade’?! I thought you were sent here on information retrieval!”  
Zim just laughed.  
“Zim lied to the Dib human to minimize interference! And because you are equal parts gullible and stupid, it worked! Regardless of his mission being canceled, Zim will conquer this puny planet anyway! So prepare yourself Dib! Prepare yourself for the AWESOME WRATH OF ZIM!!”

“Oh, I’M stupid? Your ‘human disguise’ makes you look like Kermit the frog, you thought cows ate eyeballs, and your robot assistant is almost as defective as you are! And yet you think you can take over a planet without getting caught? Hah! I’ll believe it when I see it!”  
Dib was crying, fat tears rolled down his cheeks as he yelled at the alien on the device.  
“I can’t believe I actually loved you! YOU’RE A FUCKING IDIOT ZIM! STAY AWAY FROM ME!”  
“WITH PLEASURE DIB-BITCH!”

SMASH!  
In complete anguish Dib had thrown the device against the wall of his room before collapsing onto the bed.  
He hadn’t cried this hard in years. Full on despair.  
He screamed and sobbed into his pillow, wishing he could just forget he ever met that moron of an invader.  
Zim was no better off.  
As soon as the transmission cut off he crumbled to his knees bawling and crying out that he was sorry to the blank screen.  
The weather was inappropriately beautiful that day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FUUUUUUUUHHHHHH! I got sad writing that!  
> Tho ‘Dib-Bitch’ was pretty funny.  
> I just heard Zim’s voice perfectly in my head saying that.  
> Ajshshakhsh!  
> Stay tuned for chapter 8.  
> Yes I know that this is labeled as ch 8, AO3 fucked me over ;-;


	8. I Can’t Forget

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y’all ready for some romcom shit?   
> Dib’s super fucking depressed. As you do.  
> Zim’s also depressed but in a different way.

It was the end of August and Dib had given up on trying to convince his dad to let him study cryptozoology and the paranormal.  
He was done with that for good.  
As well as playing the banjo, and dreaming of travel.  
The summer couldn’t have ended soon enough in his opinion. Just get things over with.  
It wasn’t like Dib wanted to study biotech. He didn’t wanna do anything actually.  
After the break up, the rest of the Membrane family knew it was basically forbidden to mention the name of Dib’s ex, lest be subjected to the teen going dead silent and running out of the room, not to be seen for the remainder of the day.

So there Dib sat at the kitchen table, mid-morning on a Friday afternoon.  
It was deceitfully nice outside. The sun was out but the winds were cold. A sign that autumn was near.  
Trying to think about his school schedule for the year as opposed to whatever else was running through his depressed mind, Professor Membrane’s successor sat.  
“You somehow look more ugly when your sad, so here.”  
Tea with milk and honey. Just the way Dib liked it in his once favourite mug. The mothman mug that had a picture of the creature as well as ‘take me home country roads’ on the front of it.

Gaz sat across from her brother at the old kitchen table.  
“You’re not okay, Dib.”  
“I’m fine.”  
“Bull-fucking-shit! You’ve been miserable since ‘he who shall not be named’. It’s actually gotten to the point where Im worried.”  
Looking at the mug and then down into his lap Dib sighed.  
Tetris came over and rested his head on the teen’s lap.  
“Even Tetris knows you’re miserable.”

Dib just scoffed.  
“He stole my fucking bacon this morning, he’s probably just looking for more.”  
The old dog licked his lips almost comically.  
“You need to go see him.”  
Dib was about to tell his little sister that she was out of her demented mind, but was cut off before he could even open his mouth.  
“I don’t give a shit if you make up with him or beat him to a bloody pulp, but you need the confrontation. You need to sort this out face to face. It’s who you are and who you’ve always been. You’re never gonna be satisfied without seeing him again.”

Holding his tea but not raising it up for a drink, Dib tried to look anywhere but at Gaz to avoid crying.  
“I can’t. I’ll make a fool of myself.”  
“You’re both fools, big deal. You gotta see him before you go to college and turn into Dad for the rest of your life. He only got mad because he was disowned by his race and needed to place blame or something.”  
Reminded of his fate, the young man stood up.  
“Not. A. Chance.”  
He picked up his tea to take it up to his room so it could sit and grow cold properly before heading up the steps.  
What Gaz was sure was supposed to be a mildly dramatic exit was ruined by her brother trying not to spill the tea on the steps.

Grumbling to herself, Gaz stood up and went outside. She had to go work at the farmers market after all.  
She walked outside, told Tetris to “stay” and “be good”, made sure she had her game slave and phone charger, and just got to her bike before she heard erratic running.  
“Gaz! I have to go see him! Before life fucks me over!”  
Rolling her eyes at her brother’s dramatics, Gaz couldn’t help but smile.  
“Took you long enough. But how you gonna get there? Dad took the truck to the airport this morning.”

For the seventeenth year in a row, the professor was asked to fly to California to run a Q&A at ‘Farmcon’.  
“I’ll take the tractor.”  
“Can you even drive that on the highway? Like, legally?”  
“Probably not, but I need to get to him.”  
“FLY YOU FOOL! FLY! I’ll cover for you.”  
“Got it!”  
Dib started to run towards the parked tractor.  
“Thanks Gaz!”  
The girl nodded and rode off in the opposite direction on her little black bike.

Starting up the tractor, Dib started to have second thoughts.  
“No, Gaz is right. I need to see him or I’ll be fucked up for the rest of my life.”  
And with that he drove off to Zim’s base.  
The tractor had been tinkered with by Dib in early high school so that it would go faster and he was thankful.  
The drive wasn’t excruciating and he didn’t get pulled over. There was no way to shield himself from the winds or his paranoia.  
He drove on, planning on what he would say and do when he arrived. Never liking any of the scenarios he came up with.  
So at a stop light, he quickly put in his earbuds and hit play.  
‘It’ll All Work Out’ by Tom Petty played and the light turned green.

It took a while but the view of fields turned into overwhelmingly large buildings.  
He was close.   
He didn’t know street names but he could recognize landmarks he had made for himself while in town.  
What was he wearing by the way?   
Old blue jeans with the hole out of one knee, a paint stained flannel, and a grey tank top.  
He looked like trash and stuck out like a sore thumb.  
The cul-de-sac. He was there.  
He could see the ugly bright green house down at the end.  
It looked like it was wedged into a space where there shouldn’t even be a house, which was true.

Slowing the tractor down and regretting wearing the ripped jeans, Dib stopped in front of the house.  
Last chance to bail. He could walk away and have a normal life.  
Take over Membrane farms, get married to a normal guy or girl, have some vanilla sex and maybe a kid or two so the Membrane cycle could repeat itself.   
No, he wouldn’t subject anyone to a life like his own, much less his own hypothetical kid.   
This was it. The chain would end with him.

Getting off the tractor and approaching the house Dib watched in horror as the lasers in the lawn gnomes eyes charged up.   
He had seen those thing shoot a squirrel once and there was nothing left of it but some singed fur and a black spot on the walk.  
Sprinting to dodge the lasers, the raven haired teen made it to the door.   
Frantically pounding on the door in hopes of getting in before the gnomes could lock on to him and prepare the lasers again.  
“Zim! Let me in! PLEASE I NEED TO TALK JUST LET ME-!”  
The door he was pressed up against opened and he fell forward.

Instead of catching himself, he tripped over something.  
“MARY!!! You came home!”  
Laser fire shot through the space where Dib’s head was a few seconds ago and singed the opposite wall pretty badly.  
Whatever he had tripped over moved out from under his shins to shut the door and was at his side to give him a hug.  
“GIR! Man, I can’t believe I missed you.”  
Sitting up to pull the robot into his lap Dib held him in a tight hug.  
“Mastah misses ya too! He cry so much now.”  
Surprised by GIR’s words Dib shook his head.  
“No, he hates me. I just came to talk to him before leaving for college.”

GIR nodded.  
“He downstairs. Since I loves you Mary, imma let you take my favoooorrite elevator!”  
The robot stood up and and lead Dib into the kitchen and to the toilet that sat there.  
“You gon want floor fifty-three. Das where he is. Stand in the potty an pull the handle.”  
Dib did as he was told, though reluctant, and screamed as the bottom of the toilet bowl fell away.  
He landed on a soft platform and righted himself.  
Buttons and an elevator door, GIR was right.  
He selected the button for floor fifty-three.

The elevator brought him down and Dib was annoyed by the soft padding as it was hard to keep steady.  
It wasn’t too long before the elevator slowed to a halt.   
The doors opened to reveal a dark room with a few computer monitors on.  
Walking out into the room, the human looked for Zim.  
It was so dark.  
Looking for the pink of Zim’s Pak or the red light his eye implants gave off in the dark.  
Deeper and deeper into the lab until he heard a voice.  
“You shouldn’t be here.”

Whipping around to where he heard Zim’s voice, Dib saw nothing.  
“I came to talk about what happened over the transmission.”  
“Didn’t I make myself clear? Zim no longer wishes to see the Dib’s hideously large head!”  
His chest tightened up as the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, searching for something dangerous in the dark.  
“Tough shit! We need to talk. I won’t leave otherwise.”  
Zim’s loud laugh bounced off the walls, not coming from anywhere in particular and making Dib feel trapped.  
“Well! Then Zim will have to kill you and dispose of your stinky body. Last chance to leave and survive to live your sad little life, Dib-stink!”

Silence.  
And then Dib sighed.  
“Let’s fucking do it then. I’ll die either way.”  
Zim went eerily quiet.   
Dib thought he had left until he saw red eyes emerge from the darkness.  
Except they were too far off the ground.  
Maybe he was using his Pak legs.  
“Step into the light, coward.”  
Zim emerged into the dull light of the big computer screen.  
Zim wasn’t using his Pak legs. He was just super tall, standing at about seven feet.  
He looked down at Dib.

The human was just standing there in front of him.  
His Dib.  
He had hurt his Dib.  
Zim’s shoulders shook and his spooch tightened. He really wanted to hold his human.  
Dib bit his lip.  
He always looked so cute when he did that.  
“Don’t cry, Zim. Because if you’re gonna cry,”  
Dib’s voice wavered a bit.  
“I’m gonna cry. So y-you’d better not.”  
Tears. They were both crying.  
The pain of memory proved to be to much.

Dib, still angry with Zim and now himself for being weak, reeled back to punch Zim.  
“Stupid!”  
His fist collided with Zim’s chest.  
“Fucking!”  
Hitting the Irken again but with less force.  
“ALIEN!”  
Hitting Zim a third time, as he slowly lost steam and collapsed against his ex’s chest, crying into the hoodie he wore.  
“Zim deserved that.”  
“Damn right you did.”  
Figuring that he had nothing to lose, the alien went for it.  
“This could never make up for what was said, but Zim is sorry. Painfully so.”

Dib was quiet, so Zim continued.  
“If there is anything that could be done to make the Dib feel better, know that I will go to any length to make it happen. This is because Zim loves the Dib with every fibre of my being.”  
“But y-you said-“  
“Never meant a word. The Tallest found out about... us.”  
Trying not to cry more, Zim continued.  
“It is defective for an Irken to feel that way about another yet alone act on those emotions. Zim knew this and proceeded anyway. As you know, I am no longer a part of the Irken Empire, the Collective, no longer Irken.”

“You lost yourself. Didn’t know who you were anymore. And you needed someone to blame.”  
“Zim supposes so, but it’s not an excuse. Only an explanation.”  
Standing away from the alien Dib looked into his eyes.  
“We lost my grandmother six years ago. Grief overtook my grandfather and he blamed the family doctor for her natural death. It happens, but people are still hurt.”  
Nodding, Zim breathes in deeply.  
“Zim would do anything for a second chance. The Dib still wishes to travel, yes?”  
The human looked reluctant, much to Zim’s dismay.

“Zim did not lie about being an invader, but he wanted to stop for you. It was you who allowed this invader to see what he once viewed as a horrid planet through a different lens. You helped me see the beauty in things. The Dib gifted Zim with true sight.”  
They were both weeping again.  
“Well, you proved to me that I wasn’t insane. You were my clarity.”  
“Zim knows how he can make it up to the Dib.”

The words caused silence.  
It was a split second decision but for his Dib, Zim would go through with it.  
“If you had proof of the supernatural, would your father let you study it?”  
“I dunno, probably? His main problem was that it’s not scientific, so proving it could be useful.”  
“If I we’re to...”  
The Irken took a shaky breath.  
“Reveal myself to your parental unit. Would it be proof enough?”  
The human tensed and though for a bit.  
“No fucking way. He’d want to take you apart. Or worse, make me take you apart! I could never do that to you. Even though you’re a colossal bastard.”

Zim chuckled and pulled Dib close to him.  
“Zim could escape if things went south, and I wouldn’t mind if a certain human wanted to escape with me.”  
“Mmnn... I missed you. You still owe me though. Big time.”  
Dib pressed his forehead against Zim’s chest.  
“Isn’t saving you from a life that’s not your own enough?”  
“Yeah, but dinner and a ghost hunt would also be nice.”  
“Such a greedy human. You’re lucky that Zim is a very capable mate.”  
Pulling away a little bit, Dib sighed.  
“I... still want a bit of time to think about all that.”

“Zim understands. Would the Dib like to go out to dinner this evening or at another time?”  
“I’d say this evening, but I’m not wearing anything nice.”  
“Zim will handle all the Dib’s formal wear needs. You may also stay the night if you would like.”  
The human hummed thoughtfully.  
“We’ll see how I feel after the ghost hunt. I’ve gotta ask though. How’d you get so freakishly tall?”  
The alien beamed with pride. He had been waiting for Dib to ask about his height ever since he had emerged from the shadows.

“Well since Zim is no longer of the Irken Empire, the empire’s laws need not apply to him. Specifically the laws of tampering with my own Pak and making myself taller by unnatural means.”  
The computer interjected.  
“He also messed with his emotion blockers so he’s a lot more sensitive.”  
Zim hissed at the computer’s interference.  
How dare that infernal machine make him look weak in front of the Dib.  
“Aw, that’s really good. You’re actually gonna be less aloof and cold this time around.”  
The Dib... liked the potential for emotion? Strange.  
“You really want to see me like this?”  
“Emotions make people stronger because we learn how to handle them. I know how strong you are.”

Puffing out his chest in pride, Zim lead Dib to a platform.  
“Computer! Fit the Dib-beast for formal attire and then fabricate said outfit using the disguise room. Be sure to reference the internet when doing so.”  
Watching as robot arms snaked down from the ceiling to take Dib’s measurements Zim added as an afterthought.  
“And create some formal wear for me as well, computer. You know the measurements of Zim.”  
“Wanna look your best for tonight, hmm?That’s sweet.”

Zim nodded as the arm measured Dib’s waist.  
“Zim owes you that much.”  
“Measurements taken. The material will be ready in two hours.”  
“That’s good, thank you computer.”  
Stepping off the platform the human thanked the computer as well before following Zim out of the room and into another.  
“So, where you taking me tonight, spaceboy?”  
The nickname made Zim’s spooch ache as he thought back to those lazy summer afternoons when Dib was his.  
“It is up for discussion, though Zim would like to take you somewhere nice.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had been decided.  
They would go to the Dalvay restaurant and despite Dib being cautious of the high prices, Zim assured him that he could pay the full amount.  
After dinner, as he was an alien of his word, Zim announced he would be taking Dib to ‘the St. Paul’s Anglican Church thingy’ so he could look for ghosts.  
“Are you sure the formal wear will be appropriate for that? I figured we’d do it another night.”  
“Nonsense!” Zim boasted. “These outfits are Irken made, thus non-restrictive and practical. We will be able to hunt ghosts and look handsome while doing it. Unless the Dib-friend would like to go home after dinner.”

‘Dib-friend’, it stung. The human wanted to cave right then and there. Throw himself into Zim’s arms and cry about how much he had missed the alien. Tell him he never wanted to fight again, only for Zim to say the same. They would hold and reassure one another there on the couch.  
No. He had to stay firm. Zim was horrible to him and needed to know that he couldn’t just treat Dib like that if they were to date. Temptation was strong and painful as his heart cried at him to take the easy way out.  
The teen noticed that Zim was looking at him, waiting for an answer.  
“Hmm. We’ll see how I feel after dessert.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m screaming they just dumbass.  
> So Zim’s tryna get back in Dib’s life and Dib wants to let him in but he also want’s to be rational about it. Which is unfortunate because now they’re both a little sad. At least they’re going on a date in the next chapter. Yey!  
> Also, thank you for all the comments and support!! <3  
> Stay tuned for chapter 9!


	9. It Could Be Worse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Date night but it’s soft and sweet and Zim does everything within his power to impress Dib

Zim had made reservations and all that was left to do was wait for their suits.  
The silence was quite awkward and not at all ideal. Zim would have to fix this.  
“So, how is the cow-beastie?”  
“Annabelle? She’s fine. I don’t think she misses you much.”  
While the slight verbal jab hurt, the Irken thought back to when they’d sit together with the cow and Dib would feed her carefully sliced apple pieces that were just the right size. He’d let Zim feed her as well. The Irken could remember Dib’s honey-sweet laugh as Zim ‘squeaked’ a bit at the initial sensation of Annabelle’s lips on the palm of his hand.  
“That’s okay. Zim misses her though.”

Dib raised an eyebrow at Zim’s quiet tone.  
“You good?”  
“Reminiscent.”  
“Oh.”  
The human tried not to think back to those lazy summer days because whenever he did tears were sure to follow.  
“How about you? Is the Dib ‘good’?”  
Not wanting to tell the alien that he felt extremely conflicted and that if they were to ever date again it was dependent on this evening, Dib settled with:  
“I’m fine. Bit tired, but fine.”

“If you are so tired, than you should rest. Zim will protect you while you sleep.”  
The alien moved closer to the object of his affection as if to prove his point.  
The human just raised an eyebrow, clearly not as impressed as Zim would have hoped.  
“Protect me from what?” He asked defiantly.  
The newly taller of the two huffed indignantly.  
“GIR could draw on your face, Bigfoot might show up and steal your farm vehicle, interesting choice by the way.”  
“Not much of a choice.” The teen looked away, clearly embarrassed by his set of wheels.  
“That is not the point. What Zim means is that the Dib is safe here.”

Zim was so close. He could hear the human’s heart beat, see the rise and fall of his chest, feel his body heat, and even smell the Dib’s scent. It was like sandalwood and the nighttime air of this planet. It was his human.  
The red on Dib’s cheeks reminded Zim of strawberry jam. A clear indication that his human was flattered.  
“Thanks, but I’ll probably survive till tonight.”  
“Such a resilient human.” Zim flirted.  
Human courting was strange. In researching this when the Dib was still his, Zim found that some courting practices and complements were gendered.  
It was foolhardy and pointless.  
Dib-beast was both strong and adorable as well as other qualities that the website said was unorthodox to call a male.  
Stupid humans.

“Sir. The attire you requested is complete.”  
“Very good.” Said Zim, popping out of his fantasy in time to respond to his computer. “Bring them up.”  
A chute emerged from the tangled wires in the ceiling and dispensed two neatly folded three piece suits into their respective owner’s laps.  
Dib’s tux was a soft white that was just a shade shy of cream with gold cuff links.  
He carefully ran his hand along the soft cotton of the suit.  
Looking over to Zim he also admired the outfit he was given.  
It looked smoother, it was such a dark purple it appeared to be black and in place of cuff links, Zim had a pink rose patterned tie.  
He wanted to tell Zim that this was amazing, but no, he had to stay firm.

“Cool, but what if I spill something at dinner and look like a toddler for the rest of the evening.”  
Zim chuckled.  
“I think the Dib will find that Irken made attire is resistant to stains of all sort and weaker laser fire. It is strong, breathable, and you are going to look amazing.”  
Holding the cuff links in his hand and tucking the suit under his arms, Dib stood up.  
“Cool. Is there like, a place I can get changed?”  
“Zim will allow Dib to dress himself here.”  
The teen raised an eyebrow.  
“But you’re here.”  
The Irken just scoffed.  
“Zim has seen your body. It doesn’t matter if I see it again.”

Flustered and pissed, Dib gave Zim the accursed ‘look’.   
Having dated this human for a while, Zim was quickly able to recognize the silent warning and hastily backpedal.  
“Though if the Dib wishes to have privacy while he dresses, that is completely normal for humans and Zim shall leave.”  
Backing up onto an elevator platform and sinking with it into the lower levels Zim withered under Dib’s harsh gaze. Though he didn’t miss how it softened just before the floor closed back up.   
As he descended into his dark base Zim’s chest cavity fluttered with what the humans called ‘hope’. 

Maybe there was a chance for him.  
Of course there was, he was Zim after all.  
He was tall, handsome, smart, strong, and an excellent provider.  
The Dib would return to his side soon enough. All that had to be done was prove that he was worthy a second time and patience.  
Though looking the part also would help.  
Once in his lab, the false invader started to undress and then redress. Making sure that everything was just so.   
He stared at his reflection in the dark screen of an unused monitor.  
By Irk’s standards he looked gorgeous. With the exception of the clothes which would be considered odd to Irken culture, yes if he were to prepare for a date on Irk Zim would be wearing long elegant robes instead of this over complicated romper.

But he was on Earth, and he was vying for the attention and affection of a human, and this is what they considered fancy.  
What if it were the other way around though?  
Zim entertained the thought of Dib in the finest robes Irk had to offer.   
Fabric down and along his body like waterfalls as he moved so elegantly it looked as if the world around him was lifeless.   
Though knowing Dib he might trip a little over the long robes.  
“Oh precious Dib.” The alien said to no one but himself. “Zim will always be infatuated with you.”

“Sir, if you don’t mind me interrupting your crazy little soliloquy, Dib-human has dressed himself. Would you like to be taken to the house level?”  
Zim’s excitement thwarted his annoyance as he made a b-line for the elevator.  
“Yes, bring me up computer! Quickly now, Zim does not wish to keep him waiting!”  
The platform took him up to the house level. When the Irken emerged he was speechless.  
Dib looked stunning. The soft white against his sun kissed skin made for a fresh and clean look with the exception of his beat up sneakers.  
“Yeah, sorry about the shoes. The suit is so nice and-“  
“Do not fret over something as foolish as your footwear. The Dib looks nothing shy of spectacular. Now we must take leave as Zim has booked reservations.”

Pulling the human in to stand next to him, Zim relished the way Dib gasped and held onto his arm when the elevator jolted a bit to take them up to the voot.  
There it was.  
Zim had avoided using it because it was one of the last places he was with his Dib before he made a fool of himself and yelled at his mate.   
Whether Dib sensed Zim’s discomfort or felt awkward himself, he offered an alternative solution.  
“Hey, we could take the tractor if you wanted. It’s just that you’re doing everything else tonight and I could at least provide transportation.”  
“Excellent idea. You’re parked out front, yes?”

The elevator brought them down again and they walked out the door.  
The tractor sat there in the light of dusk, looking as if it was painted there.  
“Our chariot awaits.” Dib half joked.  
Zim nodded with a smile and led Dib down the walk and past the fence.  
“How you got here safely on this thing baffles me.”  
The human just scoffed and hopped on the tractor, scooting up a bit so there was room for Zim to sit behind him.  
“The ride is smoother than it looks, and i tinkered with it a bit back in high school so it’s faster than average.”

Taking his seat behind the Dib Zim couldn’t help but smile.  
“Such a clever Dib.” He purred.  
Blushing at the compliment, the human turned on the machine and started off.  
“Can you give me directions from here?”  
“Yes, oh what directions they shall be! You’ll never have had such directions! Oh, you want the next right.”  
Dib signalled with his arm and turned.  
They continued for a while before Zim worked up the courage to wrap his arms around Dib’s waist.  
The human tensed up but didn’t brush Zim’s arms away.  
Good.

Pleased with the human’s docile compliance, the tall alien rested his chin on the top of Dib’s head, elated when he didn’t shrug him off.  
He was so close to his beloved mate. He still wanted nothing more than to stay by Dib’s side forever.  
His laugh, oh his adorable little laugh.  
It made all the pain worth it every time Dib laughed.  
His mate’s joy was beautiful, but what was the reason?  
“Hmm?”  
“Zim, you’re purring. I can’t believe how much I missed it.”  
Zim couldn’t be purring like this out in public! It was embarrassing. But if the Dib really liked it so much, it was fine if he purred a little.

They pulled up to the Dalvay restaurant and Dib felt stupid and out of place for showing up to a very fancy restaurant on a clunky old tractor. It wasn’t like the voot disguised as the purple bug would’ve been that much better, but at least it was a car.  
The Dalvay was a high end restaurant transformed from an elegant Victorian mansion.  
Zim got off once Dib parked and led the human into the restaurant, holding his hand as he did so.  
Up the steps, through the large screen doors, and into the large elegant foyer.  
“Wow.” Dib breathed as he took in the space before him.  
“Maybe this place is haunted.”

Zim smiled at his amazement.  
“Come on, we’ve got a reservation.”  
Dib was escorted up to the please wait to be seated sign where they were tended to by a waiter shortly after.  
“Reservation for Zim Hoomin at Six?”  
“Very good sirs, right this way.”  
They weaved carefully through spaces between tables and around the other waitstaff.  
Everyone was so well dressed and they all appeared to be older than thirty.  
Even dressed the way he was, Dib had never felt so out of place.   
They were seated at a table for two next to a window.  
They were left with their menus and a glass of water each.

The alien across from him eyed his water suspiciously before cautiously pushing it away from where he was seated.  
“I still can’t believe you’ve survived seven years on this planet while being deathly allergic to water.”  
Zim shrugged.  
“I’m just that resilient. But how is the Dib? So far so good?”  
“I’m fine, this place is super fancy though. I don’t really belong in places like this.”  
“Nonsense!” Zim’s eyes locked onto Dibs and the human found that he missed Zim’s usual hot pink.  
“The Dib belongs anywhere and everywhere, at any time he’d like. You’re a hard worker and deserve this more than anyone.”

The teen curled his toes in his shoes and averted his gaze.  
“That means a lot.”  
They looked over their menus, ordered, Zim used a ‘pocket laser’ to light the candle at their table before gifting it to Dib, and they both struggled to come up with topics that strayed away from their soft past.  
Fortunately their food arrived before they ran out of dumb things to say as a way of filling the air.  
Dib had salmon with pears and whipping cream made from goats milk while Zim had herb stuffed mushrooms drizzled with honey.   
They ate, talked, laughed, and opted to share a desert when they were done.

“What should we have?”  
“You should pick Dib-friend. Zim has organized this evening to please you.”  
Dib felt his stomach twist into an uncomfortable knot.  
Zim really loved him. And he was just going to leave all this behind to appease his father.  
“Maybe don’t call me that? ‘Dib friend’ just hits the ear wrong.”  
The alien’s eyes grew as wide as saucers.  
“Zim has been hitting the Dib with his words? Zim did not know this! Please, Dib. I beg for your forgiveness yet again.”  
The poor guy looked like he would burst into tears any moment.  
Panicking a bit himself, the human reached across the table and held Zim’s clawed hand in his own.

“Nononono, it’s okay! You haven’t been hitting me. It’s an earth expression. The suffix just sounds weird is all.”  
Doing his best to compose himself, Zim gripped Dib’s hand in his own, enjoying the soft warmth of body heat.  
“What should I call you instead?”  
“I’ll think about it, yeah?”  
The alien nodded and smiled.  
“Have you decided what we are to order then?”  
Dib looked over the dessert menu once more.  
“Can’t go wrong with chocolate cake.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After dessert and a cup of coffee for Dib, Zim paid for the meal and they left the restaurant.  
“That was amazing!” Dib happily walked by Zim’s side back to the tractor. “The mansion was gorgeous, the food was amazing, and I had a really good time.”  
Love struck by the human’s excitement Zim gazed after him longingly.  
“Would you still like to go to the church? Dib hopped onto the vehicle and thought about it.  
“Sure! Let’s do it!”  
Climbing on behind him, the alien held Dib in his arms once more and started to direct him to the old Anglican church.

The cool night air flowed around them as they took off down the road.  
This feeling of hope in Dib’s chest, of freedom! He wanted to keep it with him forever and always.  
It was the feeling he got when he was with Zim. It was why his summer was such a beautiful haze this year.  
They pulled into the empty parking lot of the church and got off.  
“Zim, I think it’s closed.”  
“Dib, Zim said we were going to visit the church so we shall visit the church.”  
The alien marched up to the locked doors and promptly started to pick the lock.

“Zim!” Dib hissed before running to the green boy’s side. “This is illegal! We’re gonna get caught.”  
The alien scoffed from where he was crouched.  
“Invader training, remember?”  
“No! You only mentioned you were an invader the night we...”  
The human wished he could cry in Zim’s arms at that moment. Make it all better. Turn back the clock.  
“We can talk about it if you’d like.”  
At the click of the lock opening, Zim stood up and pushed open the door. “Zim has done research and knows that talking about it would typically help.”  
“I dunno, maybe.”

Dib stepped into the church and breathed in the musty air.  
The large church seemed to stretch on.  
“Do you know why it’s haunted?”  
Zim shrugged.  
“I can check if you-“  
“No need.”   
Dib walked over towards the stairs, Zim in tow like a half deflated balloon trailing behind the child that held it’s string.  
“Back in the twenty’s, during the Great Depression, people were desperate for extra work to make more money. So mercenary jobs opened up.”  
The stairs creaked under their weight as they ascended to the loft.

“One of the priests who worked here was a mob leader before he converted to a life of god and religion. But there were people from his past who hadn’t forgotten the wrongdoings of his shady past. So a mercenary was hired to plant a pipe bomb one evening.”  
The loft overlooked the rest of the church, all the pews were in straight lines, set before the cross.  
“So the mercenary snuck in during mass, planted the bomb under a church pew, and set it so that it would go off at 3:57 pm while the priest, Father Larson, closed the church for the night.”  
They walked around the loft for a bit, passing an old pipe organ that reached up to the ceiling.

“The time came. Larson was up in the loft doing a quick sweep of the place when the bomb exploded from across the room. And the man of god took his last breath. The interior of the church was ruined, pews blown to splinters, collapsed pillars, every window in the place was shattered.  
All but one. And on that window there was something that wasn’t there before. A darkened patch of the window in the shape of Father Larson’s profile.”  
And there they stood in front of a grey window that was different from the others that indeed had the darkened silhouette of a man’s profile.  
“They say his soul flew out of his body and into the window trying to escape.”

The air around them felt colder as they stood in front of the window.  
“If the Dib was a ghost, would you still visit Zim?”  
The alien looked at him with hopeful eyes.  
“I’d probably haunt your house.”  
“I’ll take what I can get.”  
The human shivered a bit and instantly Zim had his arms around him.  
“You’re cold due to a sudden temperature drop. There’s probably a draft. We should move for your comfort.”  
Dib gasped excitedly.  
“Dude! Temperature drops are associated with ghosts! He’s here! Father Larson, show us that you are here! Play something on the pipe organ, turn on a light, give us a sign!”

There was silence. Nothing happened. It was just Zim and Dib standing like a couple of fools in the chilly part of the church.  
“Dib, I think it’s just a draft. But we can wait for a bit down at the pews if you’d like.”  
The human looked around wildly for a bit before sighing.  
“Sure.”  
Back past the silent pipe organ, down the creaky steps, and onto the wooden bench.  
The glow of the street lights pooled in through the windows, casting an orange spell on the church.  
“Zim, could we maybe talk about what happened?”

The alien twitched a bit and nodded.  
“Of course.”  
The human sighed and leaned against Zim’s side.  
“You were obviously distressed, it was wrong of me to just stoke the fire like that and add to your pain. Your people left you and you were upset and I should’ve kept my cool.”  
“It is not your fault, you reacted normally. Zim was a fool. There was so much pain that had nowhere to go but out. And Zim yelled at you and I said things I didn’t mean, and my precious Dib got hurt. It was wrong of Zim to take it out on you.”

“But I should’ve done something sooner.”  
“It was Zim’s place to apologize, I should’ve come to you. Dib, I love you more than anything and it was wrong for me to hurt you like that. Can you ever forgive me?”  
They held each other for a while, shaking from overwhelming memory and emotion.  
“Zim? I thought about it. The alternate suffix? Instead of ‘friend’ I mean. Honestly I kinda miss ‘Dib-love’. If you wouldn’t mind of course.”  
The alien pulled Dib in close for a hug.   
“Zim has longed for this moment since we separated.”  
The teen smiled, finally back in his alien’s arms.  
“I missed you too, space boy.”

The kiss was all they remembered and more, love filling them up to the very tips of their beings.  
Zim reminded himself that he later needed to show Membrane that he was not of this world so that his Dib could find happiness.  
Opting to cross that bridge when he got to it, Zim held Dib as he stood up and gently spun in a little circle.  
“Wanna get outta here, tall green and handsome?”  
“Your place or mine?”  
The human hummed thoughtfully.  
“Mine, I said I’d be back for morning chores.  
Walking towards the exit, Dib still in his arms, the space man smiled with his sharp teeth.

“We’ll put the earth vehicle in the back of my voot and go back to your place.”  
“Sure thing, Baby.”  
Setting Dib down so that he could lock back up, the alien laughed to himself.  
“Zim is no smeet.”  
The human was about to retaliate as they walked down the steps with a ‘you know what I meant’ when he heard a deep voice whisper something into his ear.  
“... god bless your souls ...”  
It was as if someone were behind him.  
Whipping around to see what the fuck was going on Dib found nothing.  
“Hey, Zim? Did you say anything about god just now?”

“Eh?” Zim was already on the tractor waiting faithfully for his human. “Zim said no such thing.”  
The human looked up at the haunted window of the church one last time before joining Zim on the tractor.  
That evening they rode back to the base, packed everything up, and Zim flew back to the farm as his beloved mate tried his hardest not to fall asleep against his shoulder.  
Dib by his side once again. And this time, Zim would do anything to make Dib happy.  
He needed this. For he was but a shell of an Irken without his Dib-love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y’all know I couldn’t resist a good Megamind reference! But yeahhh they pretty much patching shit up now!! Zim’s still gotta tell the prof what’s up tho.  
> I’m super fucking tired, and Dib was like creepy mode near the end. He was all like: “Wanna know why I don’t have friends? :D”


	10. Zim’s Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A sweet return to what was.

Waking up in Zim’s arms was a feeling Dib didn’t know he would miss so much.  
The gentle feeling of antenna flicking through his messy cowlick, the light patterns being traced along his lower back, the feeling of another body next to his.  
Gaz knew Zim was here. She was still up when they came in at eleven forty-five and told them that if they were gonna fuck, they’d have to keep quiet.  
They didn’t that night as Dib was just a bit too tired.   
“Morning.”  
The human pressed his face into Zim’s chest.  
“Good morning, my beloved.”  
The alien pulled Dib so that he was resting on top of his chest.  
“Was your sleep adequate?”  
“Best I’ve had in a while.”

They got dressed and went downstairs.  
Zim resumed his help on the farm by taking on the usual chores the Membrane siblings didn’t want.   
As he was feeding the chickens he was stopped by Gaz.  
“You know you really hurt him, right?”  
“Zim is... aware of this.”  
The girl sighed and clenched her fists.  
“Just... don’t do it again. It was really messed up”  
The alien nodded.  
“Zim apologized. And would never wish to harm the Dib like that again.”  
“Okay...” Gaz breathed a sigh of relief. “Meant to ask last night, but why the fuck are you so tall?”  
“Illegal genetic altercation.”

The girl nodded sagely.  
“Ah, the ole ‘be gay do crime’ move. Got it. Bet Dib finds it hot.”  
Zim’s chest puffed out in pride.  
“As he rightfully should! Height was everything on Irk!”  
The youngest Membrane chortled to herself.  
“You’re both ridiculous. Also, Dib asked me to tell you to meet him up by the cows.”  
Zim nodded. And as she walked away Gaz called back over her shoulder: “Don’t fuck up there!”

Zim finished feeding the chickens and raced up the hill to meet Dib.  
Upon his arrival, Annabelle got up from where the human sat petting her to go see him.  
Sure he was taller, but this was still the green guy who her master was usually with. He’d been gone so long.  
Zim smiled softly and pet the cow, happy to see her as well.  
“Hey, girl. It’s been a while.”  
They walked back over to Dib to sit with him.  
“Thought you said Annabelle didn’t miss me.”  
The human blushed and rested his head against Zim’s shoulder.  
“She might’ve been lying to sound tougher.”

The taller kissed his mate on top of his head and purred quietly.  
“You’re so precious, Dib-mate.”  
“‘M not the one who’s purring like an overgrown house cat.”  
Zim held his human, relishing his warmth and slight movements.  
How could he have hurt Dib like that? He still owed the human so much.  
“Dib-Love? Zim wishes for an audience with your parental unit, if he is available. He needs an explanation.”

Dib sat up a bit.  
“He’d probably want context as to why you showed up again. Okay, let’s go.”  
Taking Zim’s hand in his own, the human and his boyfriend walked down to the house.  
The door to the basement stood before them. An ominous gateway.  
Dib shivered and pulled the door open.  
“Come.”  
They slunk down the wood steps that led out onto a pristine aluminum floor.  
Past the various sections of the lab they walked, the young Membrane’s chest growing tighter in anticipation.

They found the professor as he was ending a conference call.  
“Dad! We have to clear a few things up. It’s important.”  
Mildly annoyed with the interruption, Professor Membrane turned to face “Zim? Is everything okay? Dib, I thought-“  
“Professor Membrane sir, Zim has hurt your son and it was the absolute worst mistake I could have ever made. I begged for forgiveness, grovelled at his feet, and by some great fortune, the Dib gave Zim a second chance.”  
The teen blushed at Zim’s great dramatics.

“The Dib got hurt for selfish reasons such as grief and misplaced blame. It will not happen again, Zim is sorry for all the trouble he has caused and asks permission to once again court your son.”  
The man sighed and placed a hand on Zim’s shoulder.  
“You don’t need my permission to date my son, you need his. And from what I can tell, you’ve gotten it. To be truthful, Dib’s been miserable with out you. By the way, did you genetically engineer that growth spurt?”  
The corners of the alien’s mouth pulled upward a bit.

“Yes, yes. Zim is a genius in the field of biotechnology. However there is another thing I’d like to talk about.”  
Dib raised an eyebrow. No this should be it. They didn’t need to bring up anything else.  
“The truth is Zim is not of this world.”  
Oh shit. The teens stomach churned and he could hear his heart pounding in his ears. He felt numb.  
“Zim is actually an alien. The one your son-drone has mentioned to you a few times. Your daughter-drone also knows this due to her excellent perception skills.”  
He went to take off his wig and contacts before a hand on his arm stopped him.

“Wait! Zim, we talked about this. You could get hurt, I might never see you again, it’s just too risky!”  
“No. Zim still needs to make things right. Know that Zim would give anything for my Dib’s joy.”  
Breaking away from the human’s grip, Zim swiftly removed his disguise.  
His antenna unconsciously bounced up a bit at the new freedom from the confining wig and his bright pink eyes blinked a little to adjust to the change.  
“Oh...”

This wasn’t great. Professor Membrane was never one for few words.  
Or not knowing what to do in any exact situation.  
So instead he turned to Dib. Wonderful Dib who hadn’t spontaneously revealed that he was a different species.  
“My son. I need to apologize for doubting you all these years. I think I know what all this is about.”  
Looking over at Zim, Membrane continued. “Dib wants to explore the paranormal and you just want him to be happy. But life is cruel and I wished to protect him from failure. But I see now. If aliens exist, then there’s really no telling what is fact or fiction, yes?”

“Dad? I just... don’t dissect him. This was his idea and it was dangerous and stupid, and...” Tears slipped out from the corners of Dibs eyes and ran down his face. “I’ll study whatever the hell you want. Just don’t hurt Zim.”  
Despite most of his face being covered, the professor’s features softened.  
“Dib, I won’t dissect him. The most I’ll do is ask about his race’s biology or take a blood sample. You obviously care about him and I wouldn’t want to hurt either of you. As for becoming my successor, you don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

Dib looked at his Dad in pure bewilderment.  
“But I thought you wanted-“  
“My son, I focused on how the world might need a second me that I forgot that they wouldn’t have you. Your happiness and safety should’ve been all that mattered since day one. Now, I’d like to give that to you and better myself as a father figure. I’m sorry for the past but hopeful for the future.”  
And Dib was crying all over again.  
The embrace of his father’s strong arms kept him grounded as they stood there in an awkward hug.  
“No matter what, just know that I’ll always be proud of you.”

The teen hiccuped a bit and nodded.  
“T-thanks.”  
The professor smiled behind his coverings.  
“Now, I’m sure you two have some catching up to do. I’ll see you both at dinner, I’m sure.”  
Zim nodded and took Dib’s right hand as the human used his right to wipe the tears from his face.  
“Yes, thank you for being so understanding. Your kindness is a great strength.”

They left the labs, hand in hand, up to Dib’s room so they could sit on the bed and hold each other.  
“Thought I told you that was dangerous and stupid.”  
“You did, but Zim is clever, and could’ve easily gotten away.”  
Dib chuckled and pressed his face into Zim’s chest as he ran his hands up the alien’s hoodie and along his back.  
“We’re you always this skinny?”   
Concern dripped from the human’s voice.  
“I can feel your ribs.”

The Irken pressed a kiss to the top of Dib’s forehead as he eased their bodies down so that they could lay on the bed.  
“Yes, all Irken’s are very slender. There are a few exceptions, but it isn’t as common. It’s not unhealthy if that’s what you’re worried about.”  
Dib gave a nonchalant grunt as acknowledgement.  
“Aw, my cute mate worries about me.”  
The human scoffed to try and deny his red face.  
“Probably because you do stupid shit like... all the time.”  
“Lies.” Zim purred.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That evening at the table they discussed their plan to travel the world and then the galaxy. To learn more about what was merely legend on Earth.  
Dib would still be doing school, but he’d be studying for his engineering degree via online classes as he traveled.  
“We have to take time to come back and visit though, right?”  
Holding the humans hand under the table was one of the small delights Zim missed most of all.  
“Zim knows that visitation is important to my Dib. There will be frequent visits whenever requested.”

“And you’re positive that studying online won’t be an issue?”  
The alien chuckled.  
“Do not worry, Membrane-sir. Zim’s technological advancements in transmission technologies. Dib will be able to communicate with anyone on Earth from our ship.”  
“Very good!” The professor beamed.  
Gaz just huffed.  
“You know he’s gonna use that tech to facetime Annabelle, right?”  
“Gaz, she’s my sweet baby. She’d miss me too much otherwise.”  
“Whatever, just bring me back something cool when you come home.”

Simmons, still very confused as to Zim’s species, had a lot of questions that night at the table.  
“So, where is your home planet?”  
“Irk is about eighty-billion lightyears away from the Milky Way. But only Fifty-five-million years away from Foodcourtia.”  
“Wow... I’m not sure where that is, but thanks.”  
Zim just sat back and enjoyed the attention.  
His human couldn’t help but laugh to himself, watching his boyfriend preen at all the eyes on him. For a good reason this time.  
“And people say I’ve got a big head.”  
“Hush, you!” Zim teased.

The family finished dinner, and went their separate ways.  
Dib and Zim out to the back porch to sit on the rickety old swing.  
The night was growing cooler. A change in season evident.  
Something crossed Zim’s mind.  
“So, Dib-sweet. At what what time of your Earth’s rotation do you humans enter heat?”  
The teen sputtered, his mind going blank and his face turning pink.  
“W-we don’t?? Why? Do Irken’s have that?”

Dib’s boyfriend fidgeted awkwardly.  
“Well, not normally. An Irken who is part of the empire has drugs pumped into their body by their Pak to tune out the more primal parts of their biology. Things that evolution hasn’t caught up to yet. The medication is only given to those part of the collective, which Zim is not. So this year, during your planet’s ‘spring’ season, Zim will enter a heat. Zim has yet to do further research on this subject but I am thankful to have such a mate as wonderful as you by my side.”  
Dib had gone from pink to crimson.  
“O-oh! Yes, please research that. We should probably stay on Earth for that, huh?”  
“It would be wise to do so.”

They sat a bit longer.   
The awkward feeling disappearing on the cool breeze.  
“We’ll also need to construct a larger ship, for extended space travel. Consider it your first engineering project.”  
“Yeah! I’d love to build that with you. Hopefully I’ll become more proficient with alien tech.”  
Zim pulled Dib into his lap this time around, holding him close to his chest.  
“When would you like to start the blueprints?”  
The human shrugged.  
“Not any time soon. Incase you haven’t noticed space boy, we’ve got all the time in the world.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y’all I almost cried writing Membrane as a supportive dad! Huuhh that ain’t good!  
> But yeah! They got them plans and that soft fam.   
> Stay tuned for chapter 11! Probably the last chapter?


	11. Escape With Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter! *bangs pots and pans* *sirens go off*  
> Also they fucc.

“Zim, you should really take a break.” The human chided. “You’ve been working on the hyperdrive all afternoon.”  
They had decided to build the ship before traveling the world to hunt for cryptids and other paranormal beings.  
As of late, Dib’s family had been nothing but supportive.   
Gaz had a couple friends online that were getting new ‘gaming thrones’ so she asked them to send the old ones to the couple so that they could be re-purposed on the ship as ‘co-captain chairs’ instead.

Membrane had also helped, supplying more metal and plutonium than they’d need. Telling the two that ‘if they needed anything, he was just a phone call away’.  
Even Simmons had gifted them a medium neon blue shag carpet for their small bedroom as a ‘spaceship-warming present’.  
Zim thought it was a bit tacky, but Dib loved it.  
They currently resided at Zim’s base, where the alien worked near relentlessly on their ship.

Dib found this a bit annoying for a few reasons. There was the fact that he never felt like he could keep up with Zim and carry his own weight, but there was also the fact that he hadn’t had any ‘personal time’ with his mate in a little over two months.  
The human found himself craving reassurance, hoping that his lover was still physically attracted to him.  
The Irken in question pushed up his goggles and put down his tools.  
“Dib-love, Zim does not require brakes as you do.”

He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world, which Dib found quite irritating.  
“It’s not that, I just miss you. Stinkin’ lizard.”  
The tall alien stood up and went to hold his mate in his arms.  
Dib sighed and pressed his face into Zim’s chest, hugging him back.  
His alien smelled of sugar and a shoot out.  
So wonderful.  
“Zim supposes we could spend the rest of the evening together.”

The human hid his slight blush by pressing his face closer into Zim’s form.  
“Cool, is Chinese takeout okay?”  
“Of course. It is the coolest.”  
“And a movie?”  
“Can it be one of those ‘Ghibli’ films? Zim likes those best.”  
The teen snickered.  
“You would love those movies. You’re just a big ole softie.”  
The Irken looked adorably confused.  
“Eh? Zim is not soft! I am very strong and capable! If anyone is to be ‘soft’ it is my sweet Dib! So pretty and squishy!”

As if to prove his point, Zim reached down to playfully squeeze Dib’s ass.  
In response, the human squawked in indignation, the tips of his ears turning red.  
Giggling at his mate’s response, Zim stashed his goggles in his Pak before leading the human to the elevator.  
“Computer! Call Golden Fortune restaurant and place a delivery order of the Napa with glass noodles and-“  
The Irken turned to look at Dib.  
“Oh! I’ll do the stir fry beef with green onions and ginger.”  
“Now contacting the restaurant.”

They emerged up at the house level where GIR sat on the floor, drawing on the greasy lid of a pizza box with a pink crayon.  
Seeing Zim and Dib he the robot squealed with delight.  
“Mastah! Mary!!! Loook! I drew Minimoose! Don’t he look so cuuuttteee?”  
He held up the pizza box to show them the picture as a slice of pepperoni unceremoniously flopped out of the open box. The pink picture of the moose looked more like an oval with stick antlers, two eyes and a big crooked smile.

Dib of course gasped in exaggerated amazement.  
“Wow! It looks just like him! You’re such a good artist, GIR.”  
The defective SIR unit giggled and clapped his little hands in delight.  
“Aww! Thank youuu!”  
Zim stepped forward to pat the robot on the head.  
“Excellent, GIR! A job well done. The Dib and I intend to use the T.V to watch a movie this evening. Are you okay to play in the piggy room while we do that?”  
The robot saluted, his eyes briefly turning red before the went back to the usual turquoise glow, and ran off to the trash can elevator, singing the doom song as he went.

Zim picked up the pizza and put it back in the box.  
“Okay, so you’ve seen ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’ and ‘My Neighbour Totoro’. How about ‘Ponyo’ or ‘Spirited Away’?”  
Dib sat on the couch and searched in the cushions for the remote, wincing when his hand brushed up against something sticky.  
The alien hummed in contemplation as he put the pizza box in the fridge.  
“That Ponyo movie. Is it good?”  
“Mhm.”  
“Then that is fine.”

Dib set up the movie on the big T.V and Zim rushed back in to sit next to him  
The human couldn’t help but love the way Zim would stare at the movie with rapt attention. Taking in the beautiful colours and marine life on the screen.  
They had gotten to the part where Sosuke was hiding Ponyo in the bush at his school when there was a knock at the door.  
“The food delivery service drone has arrived.”  
The Irken hissed and clicked in annoyance at the interruption as his mate paused the movie to pay for their food.

Upon his return, Zim looked up at Dib and picked up the remote.  
“All good?”  
“Mhm!” The human passed over the noodles to his cute boyfriend. “Man. You really like this movie so far.”  
Taking his seat on the couch and his stir fry out of the bag, Dib curled up next to Zim as the movie resumed.  
They sat there for a couple hours, eating dinner and watching the movie.

As the film neared it’s end, Dib pressed his body against Zim’s and held the alien’s hand.  
“Hey, Zim?”  
“Yes, my beloved?”  
Here it was. He had to ask him.  
“I erm... was thinking. Ya know? I mean, it’s been a while and I was wondering... uhm... did you maybe want to. Like... later tonight, you know? Because it’s been a while and I... think I’m ready now?”  
Much to the human’s dismay, Zim looked super confused.  
“Ughhhhh what I’m trying to say is did you wanna have sex later tonight.”

Poor Dib. His entire face was beat red.  
Zim’s human had made it perfectly clear that he wanted to take things slow when they started courting again.  
Measuring his words to hide his excitement, Zim spoke.  
“You’re certain that you are ready?”  
“Yeah.”  
The Irken chirped in delight and held Dib in his arms.  
“Zim will not loose this trust again.”  
The teen chuckled, melting into Zim’s embrace.

“So, to the bedroom?” Dib asked flirtatiously.  
Not responding, Zim just picked up the human bridal style and carried him to the elevator, peppering his face with kisses as they descended into the depths of the base.  
Zim had made the bedroom so that Dib could rest in between times spent working on the ship. He had spared no expense, for the room was luxurious.  
Instead of a bed, the whole expanse of the floor was a soft cushy material. There were dimmed mood lights, everything was a various shade of purple and blue, and despite all odds, the place was well ventilated.

Setting Dib down against the plethora of pillows and blankets that were strewn about the place, Zim then loomed over him.  
His antenna curled through his mate’s hair as they whispered soft and kind things to each other between kisses.  
Zim’s ungloved hand trailed under Dib’s shirt, feeling along the dips and rises of the human’s torso. Softer in some areas and firmer in others.  
His. The Dib was all his. For now and forever.

Both hands found purchase on the human’s nipples. Testing the waters a little, Zim carefully pinched one and rolled the other under his thumb.  
Dib arched his back, soft pleasured gasps escaping his parted lips.  
Zim crooned in response and pulled off Dib’s shirt.  
“Your human clothes are a nuisance. The Dib-mate is so beautiful and your day to day attire just gets in the way. It’s not like you need clothes, you could just stay in bed forever with Zim~.”

Removing his glasses Dib muttered something under his breath about how dumb Zim’s plan was.  
“No, because Zim could spoil his pretty little mate rotten all day long. You see, the plan is quite brilliant.”  
The human’s big brown eyes locked on to Zim’s pink ones.  
“Hey.”  
“Hi.”  
“I love you a lot. You know that right?”

Now it was Zim’s turn to blush.  
“Of course!” He spluttered.  
The human reached up to help Zim disrobe.  
“That’s good. Now let me see that gorgeous green body~.”  
Pulling off his shirt, Dib drank in the emerald green of Zim’s skin stretched over his torso, showing off the Irken’s lean arms and core, exposing the alien rib cage that was there protect. He was free of any blemish or spot that wasn’t uniform.

Said Irken pressed his chest up against Dib’s embracing him with a deep love such that it flowed throughout every place their skin connected.  
The human was in Nirvana, absolute bliss. Zim was warm on top of him, like the blankets around you when you first wake up.   
The teen was barely aware of the three fingered hand that moved to tug on his pants.  
Arching his back for easier access, Dib shivered as Zim pulled away to properly remove both the pants and underwear he wore. 

Underpants, Irkens had no such time to address fussy matters such as these. Humans were so primitive.  
Kicking off his boots before he pulled down his leggings, Zim wiggled free of his clothes.  
After propping himself up on his elbows to get a better looks Dib gasped.  
“Was it always that uhh... big?”  
Between Zim’s legs sat his hot pink tentacle as it writhed against his slender lap in search of something to enter or wrap around.

“It has gotten bigger along with the rest of Zim, yes. Impressed, Dib-mate~?”  
“Yeah.” The human barely whispered.  
Natural lubricant oozed from the pulsing member as Zim rubbed up against Dib’s hole.  
The tip pressed against the tight ring of muscle as it slipped inside.  
Whining at the intrusion, Dib arched his back into Zim’s chest.  
“Did you need a minute?”  
“Keep going.”

Pulling himself closer as his cock slid into Dib’s ass, Zim groaned.  
“So tight~. So perfect~.”  
The human held onto the alien’s arms as if they were the only things in life that could keep him grounded in this reality. His chest heaving as Zim fully sheathed himself inside.  
“Alert Zim if you’d wish to stop.”  
Dib gulped and nodded.  
“Feels so good.”  
Zim’s alien cock pulsed and twitched within Dib’s walls, pulling breathy moans from his throat.

“‘Mkay, go p-please?”  
Dib pressed himself against Zim’s hips.  
A rumbling purr echoed throughout the alien’s chest as he pulled out only to push in, filling and satisfying his mate. His Dib.  
The way those kind brow eyes gazed up at him with a look of lust that only Zim could evoke. It kept him sane, it told him that his banishment was the last thing that mattered.  
Because here was his mate, just begging to be filled.  
Dib was his new drive.

The thrusts grew faster, but never disorganized. The tentacle pressed against Dib’s walls, causing him to relinquish wanton moans that made Zim’s antenna vibrate with delight.  
“‘You’re doing so well, Dib-love. Taking Zim’s breeding spike as if you were made for just that~.”  
Groaning in appreciation at the mild dirty talk Dib mumbled back.  
“Ye-ah, ‘cause I am. ‘M made for you an no one else~.”

The human knew that this would boost Zim’s possessive nature and held on to the bedsheets as the alien rutted into him even faster.  
“All mine, all for Zim. No one else can have you~.”  
The predator like growl that escaped Zim’s mouth as he spoke caused Dib’s cock to twitch.  
“Yours!” He cried out in agreement. “Yours and no one else’s. Please? Zim I need you-Ah~!”

He was holding Dib’s lower body up off of the mattress for better access as he swiftly fucked into that tight heat.  
The tentacle caressed his prostate, sending the human into blissful madness.  
“Oh~! There~! Zim pleasepleaseplea-Ah~!”  
Cum shot out of the human’s cock as he breathed in the hot air.  
Fucking him through his orgasm, Zim cooed at his mate, praising him for ‘being so good’ and ‘the perfect mate’. It wasn’t long before he too reached his climax.

Instead of pulling out, Zim simply collapsed on top of Dib, breathing in his scent.  
“Mnnnnn.” The human whined in protest, wordlessly demanding that his boyfriend get off of him.  
Rolling onto his side and taking Dib with him, Zim crooned and chirped as his antenna combed through the boy’s messy hair.  
“Did Zim do good?” The barely there voice of his alien lover sounded a bit nervous.

The young Membrane smiled kindly.   
“Of course silly.” He stifled a yawn. “I’m gunna sleep. Can you stay?”  
Already tucking their bodies into the lavish bedding, Zim hummed in faux contemplation.  
“Well, Zim is not sure. If I were to spend the evening with my beloved Dib-smelly, then no one would be able to work on the hyperdrive.”  
The human just huffed. “Noooo. Please stay?”

Chuckling, Zim picked up Dib’s glasses from where they lay next to the teen.  
“Well if it makes you happy, Zim shall stay with the Dib until he wakes.”  
“Mmm, that’d be nice.”   
Kissing the human as he closed his eyes, Zim stored his glasses in his Pak before laying next to his beautiful mate.   
The way his eyelashes dusted his cheeks as the world fell away, Zim thought that it was with a poetic irony that he had found his human after six long years on this planet plotting to destroy all of them.  
How sweet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was late February when they were ready to leave.  
Their final day on Earth before they left for space travel.  
A few days before, Professor Membrane had called and asked them to come back to the farm for a goodbye dinner before they went. Dib was excited to show his father their work on the ship and happy that they got to say goodbye.  
So on that cold day in February, they flew out to meet up at Membrane farms one last time.

Landing over by the orchard which was producing fruit in spite of the icy weather, they were greeted by Simmons.  
Gazing up at the spaceship, he whistled in awe.  
“Looks spectacular, guys!”  
Happy to see a familiar face, Dib exited the hatch.  
The assistant wore a thick green jacket and hat along with his gloves. He looked older than Dib remembered.  
“Hey, man! Dad and Gaz inside?”

“Oh yeah. Just sent me out incase you guys needed help.”  
They watched together as Zim, in his puffy hot pink coat and thick purple mittens, tried to wrestle a leash onto GIR.  
Minimoose floated over amidst all the chaos.  
“Nyah!”  
“Awww, what a sweet lil moose! How is he floating like that.”  
Dib couldn’t help but smile as Minimoose landed in Simmons’ arms.  
“You’d have to ask Zim. I’m not entirely sure.”

Once GIR was all set, they marched back to the house.  
Breathing in the smell of his childhood home, Dib hung his Parka up in the mud room and kicked off his boots before heading inside.  
“Hey, dingus.” Gaz looked at her older brother from the couch. “How’s online school?”   
Sitting next to his sister, the teen shrugged. “Could be worse. How’s doing all the chores?” 

The girl scowled at him. “Miserable, you twit!”   
Tetris whined and climbed into Gaz’s lap as Zim led GIR into the living room so that they could all sit together.  
“Oh. Your cow misses you.”  
Dib gasped. “Oh! Do you think there’s time for us to visit her before dinner?”  
The girl shrugged.  
“Might as well, Zim’s freaky dog thing scares Tetris.”  
“Zim too would like to visit the cow beastie again.”

So they stood up and got dressed for the chilled weather. The walk up to the hill was beautiful. The shorter days gave way to longer nights. The crunch of the top layer of snow as it broke to the fluffier stuff underneath as they walked up the hill gave the human a hopeful feeling in his chest. His new life came without any painful sacrifice. He was free.  
They hopped the fence and GIR got stuck.

Zim giggled as Dib raced towards the cow shed.  
“Annabelle? ‘Cmere baby girl.”  
The cow, thankful for her plush coat in the cold weather, went to greet her human.  
“Missed you too, baby. Awww, is Gaz a big ole meanie?”  
The rest of the cows walked over to see Dib as well, happy to see him and the green one.  
GIR gasped quietly and with a shockingly gentle hand, pet the cows that had approached him.

Zim stood by his mate as he told the cow about how he and Zim would be going away for a while but that they would be back to visit often.   
“We can’t take you with us, baby. ‘M sorry, but you probably wouldn’t like space travel.”  
“It’s for the best.” Zim agreed, petting the top of Annabelle’s head. “She might panic and hurt herself or someone else.”  
The human just sighed and hugged his pet. “I know. I’ll video chat every day though. I wanna make sure she’s okay.”

The alien kissed the top of his boyfriend’s head.   
“You miss her before we’ve even left.”  
“Yeah, it’s silly.”  
“No, the Dib is a sweetheart. It’s sweet and beautiful that you feel this way.”  
A small ‘buzz’ came from Dib’s back pocket as Gaz alerted them that dinner was ready.  
“We’ll be back to visit you before we go, okay?”  
The cow didn’t say or do anything in acknowledgement but that was okay.

Prying GIR away from the cows, the two marched back down the hill and into the house.  
That evening they ate fajitas and talked about the future.  
“So you built Minimoose? Fascinating.”  
“Yes, yes. Zim is spectacular.”  
Dib rolled his eyes.  
“You mentioned we would visit Foodcourtia, right?”  
“Yes, the Dib will love it there. So much to do and so high traffic. It’d be stupid if we weren’t to visit.”

And so Zim spoke the stories of his past as the Membrane family laughed along with him and appreciated his endeavours.  
They were there for him. His family was there by his side.  
After years of emotional isolation Zim had finally found a home in the most unlikely of places.  
Anchored to his mate, the alien felt like he was at peace.

After cake and tea, the unorthodox family moved outside to the orchard.  
Membrane whistled lowly, clearly impressed by the feat of engineering genius.  
“You two really outdid yourselves! Though I suppose it is time for you to leave the planet.”  
Smiling at his father, Dib came in for one last hug.  
“We’ll stay in touch. I can call you every day if you’d like.”

Holding his son in his arms, the professor remembered when he was small enough to hold in one hand.  
“My boy, know that I will always love you. I’ll be here whenever you need me.”  
Removing his goggles, professor Membrane wiped the tears from his eyes.  
“I’ll miss you too, dad.”  
They cried as they held each other.  
“Be sure to take lots of pictures and tell me all about space travel.”  
“Sure, Dad.”

Gaz grumbled something about fools in space before punching her brother in the arm.  
“If you die I’ll fucking murder you.”  
“Please don’t?”  
“Too late, I’ve made up my mind.”  
Simmons appeared in the orchard, Annabelle at his side.  
“Someone’s here to see you off.”  
The human hugged his pet and stroked her long fur.  
“I’ll miss you too, baby. What a good girl.”

The cow ‘mooed’ in a somber sort of way that made Dib wonder if she knew what was happening.  
Zim held Dib’s hand.  
“Are you ready?”  
With a shaky sigh, the human nodded.  
As they boarded the ship, Dib waved too his family.  
“I’ll call you as soon as we leave orbit.”  
They waved back. They were happy for him. 

Once the family had backed away to a safe vantage point from which they could still view the ship leaving Earth, Zim started the up the engine.  
“Is the Dib secured”  
Sitting in his chair and fastening the safety implements.  
“Yes. And yourself?”  
“Zim is prepared.”

The ship lurched forward slowly gaining speed as the thrusters engaged.  
Dib’s heart raced in his chest as his home got smaller and smaller behind him.  
G-force pressed him back into his chair as they shot up out of the atmosphere.  
The human opened his eyes, not realizing that he had closed them.  
They were floating in space, Earth looked so big as it sat right in front of them.  
“Hey, are you alright?”

Zim’s hand rested on his own, a look of concern tainted his face.  
“I’m fine, just impressed.”  
The alien looked at the control panel and a mischievous smile formed on his face.  
“Did you want me to turn off the fake gravity?”  
“Absolutely.”  
With their seatbelts unbuckled the couple floated throughout the ship. They took GIR and Minimoose out of their carriers and let them move around as well.   
“We is in space again!!! We gon go to that couch place?”  
“No, GIR. We’re visiting Foodcourtia. But after that we can take a trip to Vort.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That evening Dib had called his family with ease, gotten ready for bed, and read one of his mysterious mysteries magazines.  
His boyfriend entered the room and sat next to him on the bed.  
“The ship is on auto pilot, is the Dib going to bed?”  
“Mm, I wanna be awake tomorrow.”  
“That’s good. Zim won’t be far if you need anything.”

“Actually,” the human looked a bit flustered. “Could you stay in here with me tonight? If it’s not a problem.”  
Removing his boots and joining his lover under the bedsheets, Zim held Dib in his arms. “Of course.”  
That night they held each other as if they could protect the other from anything that would dare harm them.  
It would be one of many calm evenings to come.   
Their hearts full as they lie there. Together. As Zim and Dib should be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS WAS AMAZING TO WRITE!! Fellas I’m soft! I got sad writing that Membrane bit and I just... A-!  
> Thanks for reading, I appreciate all the love and support.   
> And thanks again @Littol_pickol on twitter for letting me use your FarmAu! It was fun to work with!

**Author's Note:**

> Wow okay!  
> Thanks again to the wonderful littol_pickol on Twitter for allowing me to use your FarmAU!  
> So Annabelle is sweet baby, and Dib’s just doin his best. Stay tuned for chapter two!!


End file.
